LOS ANGELES – Sun Devil Baseball was unable to recover from a seven-run deficit in the first inning and fell to UCLA, 13-2, on Saturday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.
The Sun Devils (32-19, 14-12) currently sit 2.5 games back in the Pac-12 Conference standings with four to play, including one road game at UCLA and a three-game home set with USC.
Left fielder Ryan Lillard put Arizona State on the scoreboard with a two-run homer to right-center field in the seventh inning and added a double in the ninth.
Left-handed reliever Garvin Alston, Jr., took over to start the sixth and struck out three across a pair of scoreless innings to highlight a pitching staff that saw six Devils take the mound.
The Bruins (25-27, 12-14) jumped on left-handed starter Eli Lingos (3-4) for five runs through their first five batters of the game and held a 7-0 lead after the first inning. UCLA added five more across the next four innings and one in the eighth.
UCLA opened the first with consecutive singles and took a 3-0 lead on a three-run homer, and chased Lingos two batters later behind a walk and a two-run home. Right-hander James Ryan took over with no outs and conceded two runs on a home run of the short cycle before he issued a pop fly to end the frame in a 7-0 hole.
Right-hander Grant Schneider capped a scoreless second with back-to-back strikeouts, and allowed three runs on four hits, and struck out three in three innings.
Lillard’s first career home run plated right fielder Tyler Williams, who was hit by a pitch, and cut ASU’s deficit, 12-2, in the top of the seventh.
Up Next
The Devils close out their three-game set with UCLA in Los Angeles on Sunday at 3 p.m. The game 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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Fan Appreciation Celebration
Head Coach Tracy Smith and the Sun Devil Baseball program thank you for joining us this season at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Your support, from our victory against Xavier on Opening Night in February to our consecutive walk-off wins vs. Oregon a couple weeks ago, has been a key part of our success in 2016. Please join Coach Smith and rest of the team at Phoenix Muni after the regular season finale against USC on Sunday, May 29 for our Fan Appreciation Celebration including food, refreshments, a raffle and more in the left-field picnic area.
Flex Plans
This plan gives fans the ultimate flexibility with nine (9) vouchers redeemable for tickets to any home game. Fans can use all nine tickets at one game, or one ticket at nine different games; simply present your voucher to the ticket office whenever you decide to attend. Tickets are at a 46 percent discount and in the Infield Reserved Seating sections. Click here for a direct link to purchase.
Single-Game Tickets
Single-game tickets for the team’s non-conference slate are on sale now. Call 480-727-0000 or click here for a direct link to purchase.
Transitioning The Legacy Campaign
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