The Sun Devils (30-16, 12-10) have won seven of their past eight games and seven of their past eight Pac-12 games. They notched their nation-leading 54th consecutive 30-win season to continue a streak that began in 1963. It is two more than the next closest Div. I team, Florida State, and ASU has had just one losing season in the program’s 58 years.
A five-run top of the first, started by right fielder Gage Canning’s leadoff triple and capped by left fielder Ryan Lillard’s two-run single, pushed the Sun Devils out to a 5-0 lead before the Wildcats (31-17, 14-11) recorded an at-bat.
Martinez (8-3) retired 14 straight batters to start the game and took a shutout into the seventh inning on the way to his 11th quality start. He struck out six and was responsible for two runs, including one earned, on six hits and a pair of walks in 7 1/3 innings. He has taken a no-hitter into the fifth inning four times this season as UA was held hitless until a one-out single in the fifth.
Erives (7) took over in the eighth inning with one out, a runner on first and a three-run lead, and delivered consecutive swinging strikeouts to keep ASU’s advantage intact. He set down the first four batters he faced in order, including three consecutive on swinging strikeouts, and struck out four total to pick up his seventh save of the year.
ASU leads the five-game Territorial Cup baseball series, 2-1. Three sports are still undecided in the overall Territorial Cup Series, but the Devils already clinched their third consecutive Territorial Cup Series Trophy, 10-5-6.5, on May 1.
Canning’s leadoff triple set the tone for the Devils as they batted around in the opening frame en route to five runs on four hits. Shortstop Colby Woodmansee started the scoring with a RBI single to left field and ASU added four two-out runs behind a base hit from center fielder Andrew Shaps, a throwing error by the Wildcats on a ground ball from third baseman Andrew Snow that allowed Woodmansee to score from third, and Lillard’s two-run single.
The Wildcats broke up Martinez’s shutout bid with two outs in the seventh on a triple by third baseman Bobby Dalbec and a passed ball. Martinez issued back-to-back strikeouts following the passed ball to put the tying run on deck, but delivered a swinging strikeout on a 2-2 count to keep ASU’s lead at four.
A triple and a throwing error on second baseman Jordan Aboites allowed the leadoff batter in the eighth to score, and a fly ball and a single in the next two at-bats ended Martinez’s outing.
Erives bookended a scoreless ninth with swinging strikeouts.
Notes: Snow made his first career start at third base…Canning extended his streak of reaching base safely to a team-high 24 games…Arizona starting right-hander Nathan Bannister entered the evening with a 0.89 ERA at Hi Corbett Field and the Devils scored two earned runs on him in the first inning.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils take on Arizona in the second game of their three-game Territorial Cup Series matchup in Tucson at 7 p.m. on Saturday. It will be televised by Pac-12 Networks and broadcast on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter on the call.
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