ASU baseball struggled in the latter half its second game against Long Beach State as the Sun Devils fell to the Dirtbags 16-4 Wednesday night in Long Beach, California. The Dirtbags broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth inning, when 10 runs crossed home plate, all coming with one out.
The Sun Devils used four pitchers in the bottom of the fifth and, at one point, ASU had walked three straight batters. The combination of walks and three extra-base hits quickly produced a lopsided scoreboard.
Earlier, the Sun Devils had taken a 1-0 lead when freshman outfielder Hunter Jump grounded into a double play plating freshman infielder Alika Williams.
Long Beach Sate then proceeded to tie the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when right fielder Brooks Stotler hit an RBI single to left field.
The Devils retook the lead in the top half of the fifth when freshman infielder Spencer Torkelson smashed a two-run home run to give ASU a 3-1 lead.
However, the lead was temporary and the Sun Devils never recovered. ASU is now 1-1 on the road this year and maintains a 4-5 overall record.
Torkelson Continues to Shine
If there is one positive to take away from the blowout loss, that would be Torkelson's hot bat. He homered twice, bringing his season total to six home runs only nine games into 2018.
Canning and Lin
Junior outfielder Gage Canning and sophomore catcher Lyle Lin continued their strong swinging in SoCal. The two combined for five hits in eight at-bats on Wednesday. Canning's average currently sits at a whopping .585, while Lin is close behind him at .500 even.
What's Next for ASU
The Sun Devils return to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys from the Big 12 Conference. The three-game series begins Friday with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at michael.baron@asu.edu or follow @Michael_Baron96 on Twitter.
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