April 10, 2011
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Sun Devils could not avert the sweep at the hands of Oregon State, as the Beavers swept Arizona State with a 9-6 win on Sunday in Corvallis. It was the first sweep of the Sun Devils in a Pac-10 series since 1999, and it dropped ASU to 22-9, 5-4 in Pac-10 play.
The two teams scored 12 combined run in the first three innings, chasing both starting pitchers early and putting the game in the hands of the bullpens. The Oregon State bullpen won the battle, as they held the Sun Devil offense off over the final six innings to secure the win for the Beavers. The Sun Devils stranded 10 runners on the afternoon, 23 for the weekend. Arizona State had the bases loaded with only one out in the fifth, but could not score, then had two on with one out in the seventh but again failed to push any runs across.
Jake Barrett started and took the loss for ASU, dropping him to 3-3 on the year. He went 2.1 innings, allowing seven runs on six hits. Mark Lambson went 3.1 innings in relief of Barrett, allowing a run on three hits. Kyle Ottoson and Alex Blackford
It looked in the top of the first like Arizona State would start the game by posting some crooked numbers. After Johnny Ruettiger struck out to start the game, Zack MacPhee walked and Riccio Torrez was hit by a pitch. Both moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch by OSU starter Ben Wetzler then MacPhee would come home on a Zach Wilson single to left. After Wetzler threw ball one to Deven Marrero, Oregon State head coach Pat Casey came to the mound and removed Wetzler in favor of James Nygren. Nygren fanned the next two hitters, limiting the damage to only one run.
The Sun Devils would lament the missed opportunity in the bottom of the first, as Oregon State would score twice to take a 2-1 lead. After Barrett struck out the leadoff hitter, he allowed a double then walked the next two hitters to load the bases. A sac fly and an RBI single gave the Beavers the lead after one.
Arizona State would take advantage of free bases from the Beavers in the second, grabbing the lead back 4-2. After a Matt Newman fielder's choice put a man on with one out, Nygren walked the next two batters. Torrez made him pay, smoking a ball down the left field line for a double that scored three.
The Beavers would come right back against Barrett in the bottom of the second, as Ryan Dunn homered to left on the first pitch he saw to cut the lead to 4-3. A single and an error put runners on the corners before a Barrett balk brought home the tying run. He struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.
Marrero gave the Devils the lead back in the third, blasting a solo shot over the left field wall to make it 5-4. It was the second homer in as many days for Marrero. The lead was again short-lived, as Oregon State plated three runs. After striking out the leadoff man, Barrett allowed a single then hit a man before allowing a two-run double to Dunn that gave the Beavers the 6-5 lead. That chased Barrett, who gave way to Mark Lambson. Lambson threw a wild pitch that allowed Dunn to move up to third then score on a sac fly that gave OSU a 7-5 lead after three.
The Beavers added a run against Mark Lambson in the sixth, again rallying with two outs. A Ryan Barnes single to center scored Tyler Smith, extending the OSU lead to 8-5. It would be 9-5 after the seventh, as the Beavers added a run off Alex Blackford. ASU shaved a run off the lead in the seventh on an infield single by Torrez that scored Matt Newman, but would not get any closer.
Deven Marrero collected three hits on the day, including a homer. Riccio Torrez drove in four runs on two hits, while Zach Wilson had two hits as well. The Sun Devils return home on Friday night, as they will host Washington State in the first game of a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.