In its season-opening sweep of a double-header against Northwestern University on Friday, Sun Devil baseball didn’t make anything easy.
Though the day began with a win and a highlight performance from junior left-hander Eli Lingos, a shaky ninth inning nearly cost ASU the first game. In game two, bad defense (five errors) and untimely hitting kept ASU in a deficit until the ninth inning.
Still, the Sun Devils picked up 3-1 and 4-3 wins over the Wildcats to start their season 2-0.
“I liked our at bats all day, I really did,” said ASU head coach Tracy Smith. “That’s thing about baseball. You keep plugging, and eventually some of them fall.”
DEVILS WIN DEVILS WIN!!!
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 18, 2017
.@ZwadsTheDevil will see your tie game and raise you a WALKOFF SINGLE.
FINAL: 4-3 #Devilshttps://t.co/36rNQBStKL
Game One
Junior left-hander Eli Lingos got the start for the Sun Devils’ opener after posting a 4.50 ERA for ASU last year in 20 appearances (12 starts). He began the game with a 1-2-3 inning.
Lingos kept the Wildcats quiet, dealing six 2/3 innings and allowing no runs on three hits, no walks and two hit batters with six punchouts. He earned the win.
“It was up there,” Lingos said when asked if Friday was his best start since he’s been at ASU. “It took me a while to get command and the movement I wanted on all my pitches. But once I started finding it in the later innings, it really helped out.”
Meanwhile, ASU’s offense got to Wildcats righty Joe Schindler in the fourth inning. With runners on first and second, freshman first baseman Lyle Lin pounded a double to put ASU up 2-0.
Lin went 2-for-4 with two hits and two RBIs in his NCAA debut.
“It felt awesome, especially as a freshman starting on Opening Day,” Lin said with a grin. “Just awesome.”
ASU tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning with an RBI single from junior third baseman Andrew Snow. The Sun Devils held their 3-0 lead as sophomore lefty Reagan Todd pitched a perfect eighth inning.
In the ninth, Smith called on his closer, senior Eder Erives. Last season, Erives earned 10 saves and put up a 2.95 ERA. His outing on Friday’s opener wasn’t as fruitful.
Erives hit the first batter he faced, walked the next one and struck out the third. With one out, he walked another hitter and the bases were loaded.
Smith said he hoped to have one closer ready for each game, but he was forced to replace Erives with freshman Chaz Montoya, thus burning both of his back-end bullpen guys in the first game.
The southpaw started his first career appearance with a walk to force in a run. Northwestern then trailed just 3-1.
With the bases loaded in the ninth inning of a two-run ballgame, Montoya settled in to fan the next two hitters.
The Sun Devils won 3-1.
“We got the win with (Montoya),” Smith said. “He had the walk, but nothing crossed my mind like, ‘Oh, let’s get somebody else.’ This kid, he’s very, very competitive.”
Game Two
The Sun Devils’ starting pitcher in game two didn’t go quite as deep as Lingos, and the ASU defense was of little help in that regard.
Ryan Hingst, a junior righty who threw a no hitter last season while posting a 3.06 ERA, began Friday night’s game with a 24-pitch first inning. After that, the Sun Devils committed four errors in four innings, causing three Northwestern runners to score.
“That’s something we’ve got to handle,” Smith said of his defense. “But I’ll tell you, as crazy as it sounds, I still think we’re going to be better. I could hear the heartbeats in the middle of the diamond. … You look at those balls that we missed, those were probably just more nerves, trying to be a little bit too quick.”
Hingst left after four innings with one hit and three walks, allowing three runs – all unearned.
Ryan Hingst's pitch count by inning for ASU:
— Matt J. Layman (@mattjlayman) February 18, 2017
1st - 24
2nd - 21
3rd - 23
4th - 11
TOT: 79
ASU scored an unearned run in the fifth, but a critical moment for the Sun Devils came in the bottom of the sixth when junior left fielder Ryan Lillard and freshman first baseman Taylor Lane got on with singles. With the tying run on base and two outs, sophomore shortstop Jeremy McCuin lined out sharply to third base.
The score remained 3-1, Northwestern.
The Sun Devils plated a run in the seventh when Snow scored on a single by Lillard – putting the score at 3-2.
After a runner was thrown out at home in the eighth inning, ASU got a last chance in the ninth to settle the score, and the Sun Devils capitalized. Sophomore outfielder Gage Canning led off with a double and Snow followed with a single.
With two outs, senior DH Sebastian Zawada drove a single into center to plate Canning.
ASU walked off to win 4-3.
Zawada said he could feel the walkoff coming.
“Yeah. Odds are it was probably coming,” Zawada said. “I was seeing the ball pretty well tonight.”
ASU is tentatively slated to play Saturday, with weather permitting. If necessary, game three will get underway on Sunday with freshman pitcher Spencer Van Scoyoc starting for ASU in his NCAA debut.
Reach the reporter at matthew.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.
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