Brett Lilek did a bullpen session before his start, just like every Sunday starter in college baseball.
Except he did so last night in case he was needed in the emergency that was Saturday's 17 inning marathon.
Head coach Tracy Smith's ASU baseball program found itself in a position before ASU's matinee series finale that it hadn't been in all season – with its back against the wall.
The Sun Devils (30-17, 15-9 Pac-12) got quality pitching from junior lefties Ryan Kellogg for nine innings last night, and got nine more from its ace Sunday in a 2-1 win to salvage the series.
Lilek's complete game was a new career high, and in his his fourth win of the season, allowed just one run on two hits – it took the Bruins (36-12, 18-6 Pac-12) five innings to get their first.
Hunter Virant, UCLA's redshirt freshman left-hander, was called upon to start after regular Sunday starter Griffin Canning sat out due to suffering from back spasms.
And Virant, too, was effective, allowing just three hits in 4.1 innings of work.
But junior center fielder Johnny Sewald retained the spotlight after a five-hit effort Saturday, driving in both ASU runs – the first coming in the fifth following junior right fielder RJ Ybarra's leadoff double, and the next coming off a Sewald double that scored Ryan Lillard, who pinch ran for Ybarra, who reached on a leadoff walk in the seventh.
Freshman second baseman Andrew Snow went 2 for 3 Sunday, and sophomore catcher Brian Serven started in left before subbing in for Zach Cerbo behind the plate in the eighth.
UCLA struck back in the eighth when redshirt junior shortstop Kevin Kramer singled following sophomore Brett Stephens, who was hit by a pitch.
Freshman left fielder Andrew Shaps bobbled a ball off the bat of junior left fielder Ty Moore and allowed Stephens to advance to third.
As a result, when Kramer was caught in a rundown to end the inning, Stephens scored.
But once Lilek got the ball again for the ninth, it was essentially game over – he mowed down the middle of the Bruin order to seal the win and secured his seventh strikeout in the process.
UCLA will play at Cal State Fullerton Tuesday before returning home to play a series with Arizona Friday.
ASU resumes Pac-12 play beginning Friday against Washington State after a midweek trip to New Mexico on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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