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ASU baseball drops two out of three games to Arizona

The ASU baseball team dropped two out of three games to its in-state rival

Aldrete April 22
ASU sophomore infielder Carter Aldrete (21) hits the ball at the ASU vs. Utah game at the Phoenix Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday, April 22, 2018.

Game One: Thursday

It was no walk in the park for the Arizona Wildcats as they picked up a well fought 6-4 win against ASU during the first of a three-game series on Thursday in Tucson.

ASU sophomore infielder Carter Aldrete's two-run single in the fourth inning and freshman Spencer Torkelson's two-run shot in the fifth inning, his 23rd of the season, was not enough to hold a 4-3 lead. 

The Sun Devils then suffered two key defensive errors that allowed a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning to score. 

Arizona junior Alfonso Rivas scored during the seventh after knocking a ball out of the glove of ASU sophomore catcher Lyle Lin, who was unable to secure the ball. An athletic trainer rushed to Lin as he appeared to have some pain in his left hand and thumb, but he remained in the game. 

The Wildcats then scored the second unearned run of the game on sophomore outfielder Matt Fraizer's single down the right field side for the win.

Game Two: Friday

ASU bounced back and evened the series in a roller coaster 10-5 win over Arizona on Friday night, giving the Sun Devils a 22-29 overall record.  

Sun Devil junior outfielder Gage Canning broke out the bats in the first inning with a deep home run to center field, his ninth of the season, and it gave ASU an early lead.  

With a man on third, the Wildcats quickly responded by scoring on a wild pitch off of ASU junior starting pitcher Sam Romero, tying the ballgame. 

It wasn't long until the Sun Devils gained momentum by loading the bases on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch off of Wildcats junior starting pitcher Michael Flynn. ASU sophomore Hunter Bishop then blasted a bases-clearing double to right center. Bishop managed to rack up some nasty numbers, going 2-for-4 with a double, five RBIs and a run scored.

Things didn't slow down there either, as Arizona came back and scored four runs in the third inning, and Wildcats freshman infielder Jacob Blas' two-run single to center field tied the game. 

The Devils found their sweet spot in the sixth inning, scoring three runs and earning extra insurance runs in the ninth with Torkelson's 24th home run of the season.

Game Three: Saturday

In a rivalry series that spans nearly four decades, Saturday afternoon's electrifying extra inning 10-9 victory for Arizona proved the rivalry is still alive and thriving for these Pac-12 schools.

ASU's offensive bats dominated early in the game, with Bishop going 3-for-5 with two home runs and Torkelson going 2-for-5 while hitting his 25th home run of the season. Torkelson and Bishop had a combined six RBIs, four runs and two doubles.


However, just when the Sun Devils thought they had a comfortable 7-2 lead, the Wildcats came scratching back in the fourth inning with sophomore third baseman Nick Quintana's homer to left field and senior Ryan Haug's three-run double.

Although Arizona was never in control of the lead, they did manage to score off of Bishop's fielding error in the seventh inning, forcing an extra inning game. 

In the bottom of the 11th inning, Wildcats freshman outfielder Donta Williams ended the game on a walk off single through the right side of the infield.

Up next, the Sun Devils will finish off the season in a three-game series against the California Golden Bears at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on May 24. First pitch is at 7:00 p.m. MST.


Reach the reporter at Edith.Noriega@asu.edu or follow @Noriega_Edith on Twitter. 

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