PHOENIX – Sun Devil Baseball erased a three-run deficit in the eighth inning and Brian Serven completed the rally with a walk-off sacrifice fly in the 12th to secure a 5-4 series-opening win in extra innings against Oregon on Friday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The Sun Devils (27-15, 10-9) won in walk-off fashion for the second straight game and have picked up victories in 10 of their past 13 games, including six of their past seven Pac-12 Conference contests.
Arizona State trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, but used back-to-back home runs from shortstop Colby Woodmansee and designated hitter Sebastian Zawada to knot the evening at four runs apiece.
First baseman David Greer, who also played one inning in left field, doubled to lead off the bottom of the 12th and Woodmansee drew an intentional walk before Zach Cerbo laid down a pinch-hit sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Serven plated the game-winning run in the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Right-hander Eder Erives (6-1), who took over at the start of the ninth, issued just four hits and no walks and struck out three across four scoreless relief innings to earn the win. He stranded three Oregon runners in scoring position in the final two innings, including a runner on third in the 11th and two in the 12th.
Greer recorded a pair of doubles to push his season total to team-high 17, and four other Devils notched two hits apiece, including center fielder Andrew Shaps and third baseman Jeremy McCuin.
Starting right-hander Seth Martinez took his second no-decision of the year as he allowed four runs on six hits and two walks, and struck out five in eight innings. He opened the game with five scoreless innings before Oregon left fielder A.J. Balta broke the tie with a solo home run to right field.
Right fielder Gage Canning responded to the Ducks’ in the ensuing frame as he led off and drove the second pitch he saw over the wall in right-center field to knot the game at one run apiece. His second career home run snapped Oregon starter Cole Irvin’s scoreless streak at 14 innings and extended Canning’s streak of reaching base safely to 20 consecutive games, tied for the team’s longest streak of the season.
A misstep in left field and a two-out, two-run single bookended a three-run seventh inning for the Ducks (21-18, 9-10). Left fielder Tyler Williams, who had six putouts on the night heading into the inning, slipped trying to make a play on a fly ball and the Ducks’ leadoff hitter was able to reach on a second on a double. He came home on a pair of sacrifice bunts to break the 1-1 tie, and Balta drove a two-run base hit into the center field two batters later to extend UO’s lead to three, 4-1.
Back-to-back eighth-inning home runs by the Devils erased their three-run deficit and knotted the score, 4-4. Woodmansee pulled the Devils within a run behind a two-run homer to left field that scored Greer, who drew a one-out walk, and Zawada followed two pitches later with a solo home run to center field.
Ervies worked out of a jam in the 11th after Woodmansee misplayed a pop fly behind second base that allowed the leadoff man to take second. A groundout moved him to third, but Erives issued a swinging strikeout and induced a fly ball to right field to keep 90 feet away.
Notes: Serven caught two runners stealing, his Pac-12 leading 22nd runner caught stealing this season…six of Woodmansee’s seven home runs this season have been for multiple runs…ASU moved to 6-1 in extra innings and 10-1 in one-run games this season, and are 12-4 in extra innings and 26-9 in one-run games under head coach Tracy Smith…ASU has double-digit hits in six of its past nine games.
Up Next
The Devils host Oregon for game two of their three-game set Saturday, May 7, at 6:30 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The game will be live streamed via thesundevils.com and broadcast on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 with Tim Healey and Max Rossiter on the call.
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