ASU baseball dropped a series against the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, Oregon, getting outscored by the Beavers 17-15. ASU has dropped three of its last four games.
Game one: Friday, April 27, 2018
ASU dropped the opener of a three-game series to No. 5 Oregon State, 6-2, Friday. ASU sophomore starting pitcher Alec Marsh went toe-to-toe with OSU’s senior southpaw Luke Heimlich.
The Beavers led just 2-0 entering the bottom of the eighth inning, but two errors cost the Sun Devils as four unearned runs would cross home plate, and OSU would have a 6-0 advantage after eight innings of play.
ASU’s highlight of the night would come in the top of the ninth inning, as freshman outfielder Spencer Torkelson hit a solo home run to left field.
It was Torkelson’s 21st of the season, tying the Pac-12 freshman home run record. Unfortunately for ASU, it would not be enough as the Sun Devils lost their 24th game of the season.
Game two: Saturday, April 28, 2018
ASU bounced back on Saturday against the No. 5 team in the nation with an 8-5 victory in Corvallis. After falling behind the eight-ball 4-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning, ASU chipped away at Oregon State’s lead. The Sun Devils took control of the game in the top of the seventh inning when sophomore catcher Lyle Lin singled to right center field, plating Torkelson to tie the game, 5-5.
Two batters later, freshman outfielder Hunter Jump doubled down the right field line, scoring freshman infielder Trevor Hauver to take the lead.
Freshman infielder Gage Workman then singled home Jump, and ASU took a 7-5 lead at the seventh-inning stretch. The Sun Devils never looked back and took game 2, 8-5, in the Pacific Northwest. With the “W,” the Sun Devils evened their Pac-12 record at 10-10 with the rubber game coming on Sunday.
Game three: Sunday, April 29, 2018
ASU started off slow Sunday, trailing 4-1 after three innings of play. However, in the top half of the fourth frame, the Sun Devils found some offense when Torkelson walked with the bases loaded.
The next batter was junior outfielder Gage Canning, who delivered a two-RBI single to left center field, scoring freshmen infielders Alika Williams and Drew Swift to tie the game, 4-4. The tie would remain until the top of the sixth inning, when Jump pitched into the offensive effort with an RBI double down the right field line.
ASU took a 5-4 lead, but the slim lead would not hold up as Oregon State tacked on two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on for the remainder of the contest for a 6-5 win.
ASU starting pitcher Eli Lingos, a senior, took the loss for the Sun Devils after pitching seven full innings, giving up six earned runs. After the series loss, ASU falls to 18-25 on the 2018 season, with a 10-11 Pac-12 Conference record.
What’s Next for ASU
The Sun Devils return to Arizona for a three-game weekend series with the Washington Huskies beginning on Friday, May 4 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. PST.
Reach the reporter at michael.baron@asu.edu or follow @Michael_Baron96 on Twitter.
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