ASU baseball defeated Xavier 8-2 in the second game of the double header behind timely runs and a strong performance from sophomore pitcher Eli Lingos.
Sophomore outfielder Andrew Shaps and junior infielders David Greer and Colby Woodmansee each drove in two runs, and senior third baseman Jordan Aboites had a solid game with an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base from the 9th spot in the batting order.
Lingos began his solid outing by pounding the strike zone and retiring the Xavier batters in order with two groundouts and a strikeout.
The Sun Devil hitters did some serious damage in the first inning, pushing across two runs on three hits. Junior designated hitter Daniel Williams ledoff the game with a single and then scored on a deep double from Woodmansee. Greer added a sacrifice fly, giving ASU a 2-0 lead.
In the second inning, Xavier's cleanup hitter junior outfielder Joe Gellenbeck hit a bomb of a home run to right field, taking a run back for the Musketeers. Lingos maneuvered through another hit, limiting the damage to just one run.
Lingos ran into pressure again in the third, but he managed to work around it, striking out the Xavier shortstop to end the inning.
In the bottom of the third, ASU's hitters chased Xavier sophomore pitcher Brandon Johnson.
With runners on the corners, Greer hit a base hit to drive in his second RBI of the game. Woodmansee followed with a sac-fly. The multiple sacrifice flies played an important role in today's game — though they're not flashy, they got the job done and put runs on the board for the pitching staff.
ASU scored three runs in the inning.
Lingos ran into more trouble in the fifth inning when he gave up a leadoff triple which led to another run for the Musketeers. However, Lingos again limited the damage, only allowing one run. He finished the game after 5 1/3 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five.
"We did a good job of keeping them from piecing them (hits) together and keeping them spread out across the innings." Lingos said. "Our defense played really well with a lot of nice plays, like Shaps' in center field."
His replacement, sophomore Ryan Hingst, inherited a runner on third. He was throwing fire, hitting 92 MPH on the radar gun. He contrasted it with other pitchers, striking out the first batter he faced with a beautiful 76 MPH changeup and then forced the next batter to ground out, stranding the runner at third.
The Sun Devils were able to extend their lead further int he sixth. Aboites hit an RBI fielder's choice, then Williams was hit by a pitch. Shaps walloped a two-run triple to right-center that electrified the crowd and capped off the big 6th inning.
Shaps finished the game going 3-4 with a double, two base hits, two runs and two RBI, his best performance of the season thus far. ASU's three runs pushed the lead to 8-2.
Xavier had a chance in the eighth, loading the bases with two outs after Connor Higgins gave up a pair of hits and hit a batter. He was able to wiggle out of the jam, holding the score and helping ASU finish 8-2.
"We are still trying to learn what we've got," head coach Tracy Smith said. "We played a lot of guys today and to do that and still win the double header, I'm pretty happy about that."
Reach the reporter at Graham.Paul@asu.edu or follow @GrahamASUpress on Twitter.
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