Eugene, Ore. – In a thriller that ended with a bases-loaded diving tag at the plate by catcher Zach Cerbo, Sun Devil Baseball defeated Oregon, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon to force the rubber match tomorrow at PK Park.
Junior Taylor Lane came through for the Devils in the tight affair, hitting not one, but his first two career home runs in the matchup and finishing the night 2-for-4 with two RBI. He helped pace the offense alongside outfielders Andrew Shaps and Gage Canning, who each notched two hits and knocked in a run against the Ducks.
Eli Lingos did Eli Lingos things as he went 6.2 innings, improving to 6-3 on the year after allowing just two runs with four strikeouts to earn the victory and his team-leading sixth quality start of the season. The Sun Devil defense did its part behind – and in front of him – playing errorless ball and while Cerbo made three incredible at the plate over the course of the game – including a game-ending dive at home to make a tag following a wild pitch to save the day for the Devils.
Lane and Shaps combined to put two runs on the board in the top half of the second inning, with Lane sending a 2-0 pitch well over the left field wall for the first Division I home run of his career. Shaps would follow up a few batters later with a base hit of his own, placing a double into left field to plate sophomore Jeremy McCuin all the way from first base to give the Devils a 2-0 advantage early.
Oregon loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Lingos stayed the storm as he got an out on a fielder's choice before issuing an inning-ending groundout to end the threat.
The Ducks again had a chance to even things in the bottom of the fifth but Lyle Lin made and incredible diving stop on a two-out single through the right side before making a head's up throw to home plate to catch an Oregon runner trying to take an extra base on the play.
With another home run in the seventh inning, a shot to straightaway center, Lane again put another run on the board for the Devils. Canning would add an RBI single to make the score 4-1 in favor of ASU.
The Ducks pushed runners to the corners with two outs in the home half of the seventh, prompting a call to the bullpen. Junior Jake Godfrey would trot out, using just two pitches to record the final out of the inning to stand two more Oregon runners on the basepath. The Sun Devil pitching staff and bullpen combined to strand 13 Ducks over the course of the contest.
The Devils would make a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth, bringing in Ryan Lillard in a pivotal move in the frame. After Oregon cut the deficit to one and had runners on first and second with one out, Lillard made a charging throw on a shallow single to left to the plate where Cerbo made the catch and dove to home to make the tag on the Oregon runner for the second play at the plate to keep the Devils up by one.
The ninth inning was full of theatrics again as Oregon loaded the bases with two outs and freshman Sam Ferri looking for the one-out save for the Devils.
Ferri's first pitch to Oregon's Taylor Trevess was in the dirt but Cerbo was able to keep the ball within reach, quickly recognizing the Oregon baserunner attempting to come home from third and diving to the plate in plenty of time to make the tag and end the game.
Cerbo's heroics forced tomorrow's rubber match, scheduled for 12 p.m. PT in Eugene. Freshman Chaz Montoya is slated to take the mound for the Devils with the game being streamed live on Twitter and Pac-12.com/live.
NOTES: Taylor Lane became the first Sun Devil to hit two home runs in one game since Sebastian Zawada did it in March of last season against Eastern Michigan…Lane has two homers and a triple in two games this weekend, notable as he had just one single extra-base hit this season and no home runs entering Saturday's game…Lingos now has six quality starts this season – all wins – while no other Sun Devil has more than one quality start…Andrew Shaps has now reached base in 16 consecutive games – the longest such streak in his career - and has hits in six straight…
Junior Taylor Lane came through for the Devils in the tight affair, hitting not one, but his first two career home runs in the matchup and finishing the night 2-for-4 with two RBI. He helped pace the offense alongside outfielders Andrew Shaps and Gage Canning, who each notched two hits and knocked in a run against the Ducks.
Eli Lingos did Eli Lingos things as he went 6.2 innings, improving to 6-3 on the year after allowing just two runs with four strikeouts to earn the victory and his team-leading sixth quality start of the season. The Sun Devil defense did its part behind – and in front of him – playing errorless ball and while Cerbo made three incredible at the plate over the course of the game – including a game-ending dive at home to make a tag following a wild pitch to save the day for the Devils.
Lane and Shaps combined to put two runs on the board in the top half of the second inning, with Lane sending a 2-0 pitch well over the left field wall for the first Division I home run of his career. Shaps would follow up a few batters later with a base hit of his own, placing a double into left field to plate sophomore Jeremy McCuin all the way from first base to give the Devils a 2-0 advantage early.
Oregon loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Lingos stayed the storm as he got an out on a fielder's choice before issuing an inning-ending groundout to end the threat.
The Ducks again had a chance to even things in the bottom of the fifth but Lyle Lin made and incredible diving stop on a two-out single through the right side before making a head's up throw to home plate to catch an Oregon runner trying to take an extra base on the play.
With another home run in the seventh inning, a shot to straightaway center, Lane again put another run on the board for the Devils. Canning would add an RBI single to make the score 4-1 in favor of ASU.
The Ducks pushed runners to the corners with two outs in the home half of the seventh, prompting a call to the bullpen. Junior Jake Godfrey would trot out, using just two pitches to record the final out of the inning to stand two more Oregon runners on the basepath. The Sun Devil pitching staff and bullpen combined to strand 13 Ducks over the course of the contest.
The Devils would make a defensive replacement in the bottom of the eighth, bringing in Ryan Lillard in a pivotal move in the frame. After Oregon cut the deficit to one and had runners on first and second with one out, Lillard made a charging throw on a shallow single to left to the plate where Cerbo made the catch and dove to home to make the tag on the Oregon runner for the second play at the plate to keep the Devils up by one.
The ninth inning was full of theatrics again as Oregon loaded the bases with two outs and freshman Sam Ferri looking for the one-out save for the Devils.
Ferri's first pitch to Oregon's Taylor Trevess was in the dirt but Cerbo was able to keep the ball within reach, quickly recognizing the Oregon baserunner attempting to come home from third and diving to the plate in plenty of time to make the tag and end the game.
Cerbo's heroics forced tomorrow's rubber match, scheduled for 12 p.m. PT in Eugene. Freshman Chaz Montoya is slated to take the mound for the Devils with the game being streamed live on Twitter and Pac-12.com/live.
NOTES: Taylor Lane became the first Sun Devil to hit two home runs in one game since Sebastian Zawada did it in March of last season against Eastern Michigan…Lane has two homers and a triple in two games this weekend, notable as he had just one single extra-base hit this season and no home runs entering Saturday's game…Lingos now has six quality starts this season – all wins – while no other Sun Devil has more than one quality start…Andrew Shaps has now reached base in 16 consecutive games – the longest such streak in his career - and has hits in six straight…