(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Thornton’s scoreless six-inning performance was overshadowed on Friday night. The Sun Devils’ game against Washington lasted 16 innings, and ASU was up 2-0 until the seventh inning when the bullpen took to the mound.
The Sun Devils lost control of the game at that point, and were scoreless for 12 innings up until the top of the 16th inning when freshman first baseman Jack Moss was able to score off of a Huskies throwing error.
Though the Sun Devils won 3-2 in extra innings, ASU seemed to squander Thornton’s start with bullpen mishaps that followed after the right-hander left the field.
The first inning was quiet for both ASU and Washington. Huskies redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Logan Gerling took the Sun Devils down in three at-bats and Thornton recorded his first three strikeouts of the game in the bottom of the first.
Despite a quiet first inning at the plate, the Sun Devils began to generate runs with an infield single from freshman third baseman Hunter Haas that brought home freshman designated hitter Ethan Long in the second. Thornton escaped a tough situation in the bottom half by stranding a pair of Huskies runner, allowing ASU to keep its 1-0 lead.
The Sun Devils continued to create runs in the third inning with a sacrifice fly from redshirt freshman second baseman Sean McLain that brought in redshirt senior catcher Nick Cheema to give ASU a 2-0 lead.
ASU left runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth. Despite failing to capitalize on the offensive opportunity, Thornton kept the Sun Devils steady and the Washington bats silent in the bottom of the fourth.
The fifth inning was quiet offensively for ASU. However, Thornton continued to dominate on the mound and stranded yet another pair of Washington runners.
Redshirt junior right-hander Brady Corrigan relieved Thornton in the bottom of the seventh. Corrigan left runners on second and third base after just ten pitches, which led to the Sun Deviils bringing in a new arm: redshirt freshman left-hander Graham Osman. Osman then loaded the bases, forcing ASU to bring in redshirt freshman right-hander Cam Dennie. With Dennie on the mound, Washington redshirt freshman infielder Will Simpson singled to left center, earning two RBI to tie the game up at two.
Gerling started the next frame but was relieved by redshirt sophomore left-hander Colton Charnholm after facing one batter. Washington made another pitching change after Charnholm walked ASU redshirt freshman outfielder Joe Lampe, putting redshirt junior right-hander Dylan Lamb on the mound. Lamb proceeded to earn three strikeouts, and ASU left the bases loaded in the top of the eighth.
Lamb continued to dominate the mound for the Huskies in the ninth, and kept the Sun Devils’ offense silent. Redshirt sophomore right-hander Will Levine relieved Dennie in the bottom of the ninth and earned a 1-2-3 inning.
Once extras hit, it was a back and forth battle of leaving runners stranded and poor offense between the two before ASU poked through in the top of the 16th inning.
