Junior Ryan Kellogg allows three runs in seven innings pitched against Oregon State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Saturday, March 14, 2015. The Sun Devils defeated the Beavers 4-3. (Jacob Stanek/The State Press)ASU baseball head coach Tracy Smith may be on to something when he refers to “Kellogg being Kellogg.”
The Canadian is used to succeeding in the Pacific Northwest. But for Ryan, the junior left-hander, Saturday afternoon’s 2-1 win over No. 15 Oregon was another example of his dominance.
Kellogg (4-0) retired 15 straight Ducks hitters between the second and seventh innings, throwing a complete game and allowing just three hits, striking out seven.
On the other side, the Oregon pitching staff appeared much less comfortable, even in the friendly confines of PK Park.
In the top of the fifth, freshman left-hander David Peterson issued a leadoff walk to senior first baseman Joey Bielek and would later allow him to come around to score on a balk, the fourth by an Oregon pitcher in the series.
Even pitchers of Kellogg’s caliber are forced to pay dearly for making mistakes. The two walks he allowed on the afternoon both came consecutively, and allowed Oregon to tie the game in the seventh inning on an RBI single by junior left fielder Phil Craig-St. Louis.
With the game’s trajectory seeming to suggest another potential extra-inning finish, ASU tacked on two of its four total hits in the top of the eighth to retake the lead after a single by freshman second baseman Andrew Snow and a sacrifice bunt by junior center fielder Johnny Sewald set up the go-ahead RBI single by sophomore shortstop Colby Woodmansee.
Woodmansee’s 15 RBIs lead the team through 21 games.
Junior left-hander Brett Lilek (1-1, 4.91 ERA) will take the mound opposite redshirt sophomore Cole Irvin (0-1, 1.5 ERA) as the Sun Devils seek a series sweep at 12 p.m. Sunday at PK Park in Eugene, Oregon.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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