Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.

ASU baseball beats Oregon with 12th-inning walk-off for series opener

Head coach Tracy Smith was ejected before the Sun Devils won in extra innings.

Junior pitcher Seth Martinez pitches during a game against Xavier at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Sun Devils won the matchup, 2-1.
Junior pitcher Seth Martinez pitches during a game against Xavier at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016. The Sun Devils won the matchup, 2-1.

In a series opener that included four home runs, 12 innings and an ejection, the Sun Devils prevailed with a 5-4 win over Oregon.

The teams traded runs, answering to each other’s offensive outbursts and sending the game to extra innings. In the tenth, after game-long boos and arguments, ASU head coach Tracy Smith was ejected for arguing balls and strikes.

“Honestly, I complained truly on two calls,” Smith said following the win. “I questioned the Aboites (call) and rightly so, he gave me a warning, and he should have, because he did his job and I (don’t fault him) there. And quite frankly, after the Woodmansee call and how I reacted, he should have thrown me out. But I think what got me upset was more the dialogue.”

Eventually, the game was decided when junior first baseman David Greer led off the bottom of the 12th with a double. He advanced to third on a sac bunt by junior designated hitter Zach Cerbo, and scored on an RBI sac fly by junior catcher Brian Serven.

“That was good to see," Smith said. "All the guys – I don’t care if it’s the pitching, the defense, Cerbo getting the bunt down – making the big plays when you have to."

Serven, who entered the game slugging .377 with 25 RBIs on the season, said he was a little surprised that he wasn’t intentionally walked in that 12th inning.

“I was surprised, but I think their thinking was that (Andrew) Shaps (due up next in the order) is faster than I am, so if he hits a ground ball it’s a less-likely chance of a double play,” he said. “I was surprised, with a base open, that they would do that.”

Seth Martinez started on the mound for the Sun Devils (27-15, 10-9 Pac-12), coming into the game with a 1.73 ERA, a 7-3 record and two complete games on the season. Martinez pitched through the eighth inning on Friday after finishing the seventh at 101 pitches and four earned runs.

Martinez’s catcher, Brian Serven, said he wasn’t surprised to see Martinez come back out for the eighth.

“That’s Seth; he’s going to give you everything he’s got,” Serven said. “We’re going to ride him every single Friday night, and I was not surprised at all.”

Martinez finished the day with eight innings pitched, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks, striking out five.

The Sun Devils and Ducks traded solo home runs in the sixth inning — from Oregon sophomore left fielder A.J. Balta and ASU freshman right fielder Gage Canning.

Oregon (21-18, 9-10 Pac-12) tagged Martinez again in the seventh, sending seven hitters to the plate, scoring three runs on two hits, leaving one. At one point, Balta picked up his second and third RBIs of the evening to make it 4-1 Oregon, singling with the bases loaded.

In the bottom of the eighth, ASU answered back. With one out, Oregon junior starting pitcher Cole Irvin allowed a walk to Greer. Junior shortstop Colby Woodmansee unloaded a two-run home run, bringing ASU within one run.

Junior designated hitter Sebastian Zawada followed with a solo homer. ASU had tied it back up, 4-4.

In the 11th, with runners on the corners for Oregon, a soft tapper back towards the mound was handled steadily by junior pitcher Eder Erives and thrown back home to save a go-ahead run.

Erives, who has often been used late in games by Smith, pitched the final four innings for the Sun Devils, allowing no runs on four hits with three strikeouts. It was his 17th appearance of the season.

The win is the fourth straight for the Sun Devils, who will return to action Saturday night against Oregon for game two of the three-game conference series.


Reach the reporter at matt.layman@asu.edu or follow @Mattjlayman on Twitter.

Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.


Continue supporting student journalism and donate to The State Press today.

Subscribe to Pressing Matters



×

Notice

This website uses cookies to make your experience better and easier. By using this website you consent to our use of cookies. For more information, please see our Cookie Policy.