PHOENIX – The Sun Devil offense exploded for a season-high 18 hits to overcome an early 5-2 deficit and defeat CSU Bakersfield, 12-6, in game one of the weekend series Friday evening at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Six Sun Devils (17-19) recorded multi-hit games, including outfielder Gage Canning who contributed four hits, two RBI's and two triples to take the national lead in that category with seven this season. Canning, the defending Pac-12 Player of the Week, now has multiple hits in three straight games and in four of his last five appearances en route to a 10-game hitting streak.
Carter Aldrete had a career-best three hits as he matched his best with three RBIs with two runs in the effort while Taylor Lane also went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Starting left-hander Chaz Montoya overcame flu-like symptoms and regrouped after a rough first three innings, allowing just one run on three hits over his final three frames to earn his fourth victory of the season – matching the team lead in the category. Montoya struck out three and walked a pair over his six innings, inducing a pair of double plays to escape multiple jams.
The Devils roughed up CSU Bakersfield ace right-hander Max Carter, scoring six runs on eight hits and did not strike out in his three innings of work. In the third inning, outfielder Tyler Williams drew a walk, snapping Max Carter's consecutive innings streak without allowing a walk at 25.1 innings.
For the third consecutive game, ASU found itself in an early hole as the Roadrunners jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Devils bounced back with a pair in the bottom half of the inning, putting a pair into scoring position behind a Shaps single and Lyle Lin double and plating Shaps on Tyler Williams' RBI groundout. Lin came across one batter later on an Aldrete RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.
CSUB jumped ahead again in the top of the third, bringing across a pair to pull ahead, 5-3. But again, the Devils had the answer with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame to take their first lead of the game at 6-5. The two-out rally was sparked by back-to-back doubles from Aldrete and Zach Cerbo, scoring three in the process and making it a four-spot with a Hunter Bishop RBI single.
The Roadrunners would tie the game up again in the top of the fifth with a single run but the Sun Devils unloaded with a five-run fifth to take control of the game.
Bishop brought one across on a single for his second RBI of the game and Taylor Lane scored on a fielder's choice to make it 8-6 in favor of the Devils. Canning followed that with a base-clearing triple to make it 10-6 and Shaps brought him across with a single to make it an 11-6 ball game.
Left-hander Reagan Todd would take over for Montoya in the seventh, looking to hold the five-run lead. Todd faced five batters, retiring all five via groundout.
The Devils added one more in the bottom of the seventh as Lane plated Ryan Lillard with an RBI single after Lillard's leadoff double to bring the game to its eventual finale score at 12-6.
After Todd's 1.2 innings of work, right-hander Grant Schneider came on in the eighth to finish out the game. Schneider would go the final 1.1 innings, punching out a pair of batters while not allowing a hit or a run.
NOTES: The Sun Devils have scored double-digits in three of their last four contests after accomplishing the feat just once in the first 32 games of the season…Gage Canning extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games and is 22-for-44 (.500) with two home runs, three triples and three doubles, slugging .841 in the process…Canning now has seven three-hit games on the season which is four more than any other Sun Devil and surpasses the team lead from last season (6)…Seven three-hit games is tied for the most for an ASU player since 2014…With his two triples on the night, Canning now leads the country in triples (7) and surpasses his total from last season (6)…The last time a Sun Devil tripled twice in the same game was Joey DeMichele (2011)…Lyle Lin has reached base in 22 consecutive games…It is the longest active streak by a Sun Devil and Lin now sits third among all ASU freshmen since 2000 for the longest in a season, trailing only Gage Canning (28, 2016) and Dustin Pedroia (26, 2002)…Lin has reached base in all but one game this season…With his stolen base tonight, Andrew Shaps now has a career-high seven stolen bases….Starting consecutive Friday night games, Chaz Montoya has become the first true freshman to play the role of Friday-night starter for the Devils since Mike Leake in 2007…
UP NEXT: The Sun Devils will celebrate a very special moment as the team welcomes back the 1967 Sun Devil Baseball National Championship team, as well as head coach Bobby Winkles, on Saturday for the squad's 6:30 contest against CSU Bakersfield. The reunion will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the team that won ASU's second NCAA title after a 53-12 season in which the squad knocked off Houston, 11-2 in the championship game. The team will be recognized before Saturday's contest against CSU Bakersfield with a pre-game ceremony on the field. All games will be streamed live via the Pac-12 at pac-12.com/live.
Six Sun Devils (17-19) recorded multi-hit games, including outfielder Gage Canning who contributed four hits, two RBI's and two triples to take the national lead in that category with seven this season. Canning, the defending Pac-12 Player of the Week, now has multiple hits in three straight games and in four of his last five appearances en route to a 10-game hitting streak.
Carter Aldrete had a career-best three hits as he matched his best with three RBIs with two runs in the effort while Taylor Lane also went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run.
Starting left-hander Chaz Montoya overcame flu-like symptoms and regrouped after a rough first three innings, allowing just one run on three hits over his final three frames to earn his fourth victory of the season – matching the team lead in the category. Montoya struck out three and walked a pair over his six innings, inducing a pair of double plays to escape multiple jams.
The Devils roughed up CSU Bakersfield ace right-hander Max Carter, scoring six runs on eight hits and did not strike out in his three innings of work. In the third inning, outfielder Tyler Williams drew a walk, snapping Max Carter's consecutive innings streak without allowing a walk at 25.1 innings.
For the third consecutive game, ASU found itself in an early hole as the Roadrunners jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Devils bounced back with a pair in the bottom half of the inning, putting a pair into scoring position behind a Shaps single and Lyle Lin double and plating Shaps on Tyler Williams' RBI groundout. Lin came across one batter later on an Aldrete RBI single to cut the lead to 3-2.
CSUB jumped ahead again in the top of the third, bringing across a pair to pull ahead, 5-3. But again, the Devils had the answer with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame to take their first lead of the game at 6-5. The two-out rally was sparked by back-to-back doubles from Aldrete and Zach Cerbo, scoring three in the process and making it a four-spot with a Hunter Bishop RBI single.
The Roadrunners would tie the game up again in the top of the fifth with a single run but the Sun Devils unloaded with a five-run fifth to take control of the game.
Bishop brought one across on a single for his second RBI of the game and Taylor Lane scored on a fielder's choice to make it 8-6 in favor of the Devils. Canning followed that with a base-clearing triple to make it 10-6 and Shaps brought him across with a single to make it an 11-6 ball game.
Left-hander Reagan Todd would take over for Montoya in the seventh, looking to hold the five-run lead. Todd faced five batters, retiring all five via groundout.
The Devils added one more in the bottom of the seventh as Lane plated Ryan Lillard with an RBI single after Lillard's leadoff double to bring the game to its eventual finale score at 12-6.
After Todd's 1.2 innings of work, right-hander Grant Schneider came on in the eighth to finish out the game. Schneider would go the final 1.1 innings, punching out a pair of batters while not allowing a hit or a run.
NOTES: The Sun Devils have scored double-digits in three of their last four contests after accomplishing the feat just once in the first 32 games of the season…Gage Canning extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games and is 22-for-44 (.500) with two home runs, three triples and three doubles, slugging .841 in the process…Canning now has seven three-hit games on the season which is four more than any other Sun Devil and surpasses the team lead from last season (6)…Seven three-hit games is tied for the most for an ASU player since 2014…With his two triples on the night, Canning now leads the country in triples (7) and surpasses his total from last season (6)…The last time a Sun Devil tripled twice in the same game was Joey DeMichele (2011)…Lyle Lin has reached base in 22 consecutive games…It is the longest active streak by a Sun Devil and Lin now sits third among all ASU freshmen since 2000 for the longest in a season, trailing only Gage Canning (28, 2016) and Dustin Pedroia (26, 2002)…Lin has reached base in all but one game this season…With his stolen base tonight, Andrew Shaps now has a career-high seven stolen bases….Starting consecutive Friday night games, Chaz Montoya has become the first true freshman to play the role of Friday-night starter for the Devils since Mike Leake in 2007…
UP NEXT: The Sun Devils will celebrate a very special moment as the team welcomes back the 1967 Sun Devil Baseball National Championship team, as well as head coach Bobby Winkles, on Saturday for the squad's 6:30 contest against CSU Bakersfield. The reunion will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the team that won ASU's second NCAA title after a 53-12 season in which the squad knocked off Houston, 11-2 in the championship game. The team will be recognized before Saturday's contest against CSU Bakersfield with a pre-game ceremony on the field. All games will be streamed live via the Pac-12 at pac-12.com/live.