PULLMAN, Wash. – Spencer Torkelson broke a 35-year-old record held by Barry Bonds, but Sun Devil Baseball came up on the wrong end of a 8-7 walk-off loss in extra innings on Thursday night against Washington State in Pullman, Wash.
Torkelson surpassed Bonds' long-standing freshman record with his 12th home run of the season, breaking the MLB home run king's 1983 ASU frosh record of 11 just 25 games into the season. Torkelson is now tied for second in the country in home runs and leads all freshman.
Dellan Raish was exceptional in relief for the Sun Devils, retiring all 12 batters he faced and striking out seven of those in a career high 4.0 innings pitched. After a rough start from starter Sam Romero, Raish and Fitz Stadler combined to go 7.2 innings with just one unearned run allowed between them.
Offensively, Taylor Lane had his first three-hit game of the season and had two doubles in the process. Hunter Bishop, Alika Williams, Lyle Lin and Gage Canning all had two-hit efforts as well.
The Sun Devils took advantage of a sloppy defensive inning from Washington State in the first, plating four runs behind a combination of hits and errors. Alika Williams had the big bat in the frame, double to left center to plate two runners and give ASU a 3-0 lead. Gage Workman followed that up with an RBI single of his own to make it 4-0.
WSU came roaring back, however, plating six runs in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead and forcing ASU to go to the bullpen early.
Stadler was exceptional in the role, inducing three double plays in his first 3.2 scoreless innings of action to keep ASU within striking distance.
ASU picked away at the Cougar lead, scoring on a squeeze play in the top of the third following a well-placed drag bunt from Hunter Bishop to score Lane and cut the score to 6-5.
The Sun Devils went back on top in the top of the sixth behind Torkelson's shot to center, a 450-footer that sailed over the batter's eye and beyond the trees onto the Washington State campus. The two-run blast scored Gage Canning, who had legged out a two-out infield single just ahead of Torkelson to keep the inning alive as ASU took a 7-6 advantage.
Washington State quickly responded in the bottom half of the frame, scoring on an error by Stadler and putting runners on the corners with no outs. ASU went to the bullpen in favor of Raish and the redshirt freshman was calm, cool and collected as he fanned two and induced an inning-ending groundout to escape the inning without further damage and things all square at 7-7.
Raish powered the Sun Devils into extra innings but ASU could not find the offense it needed to close things out, seeing things slip away with a walk-off home run by the Cougars' Justin Harrer to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and hand ASU its second consecutive 'Friday'-night loss in extra innings.
The two teams will convene for the second game of the series tomorrow at 5 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.
Torkelson surpassed Bonds' long-standing freshman record with his 12th home run of the season, breaking the MLB home run king's 1983 ASU frosh record of 11 just 25 games into the season. Torkelson is now tied for second in the country in home runs and leads all freshman.
Dellan Raish was exceptional in relief for the Sun Devils, retiring all 12 batters he faced and striking out seven of those in a career high 4.0 innings pitched. After a rough start from starter Sam Romero, Raish and Fitz Stadler combined to go 7.2 innings with just one unearned run allowed between them.
Offensively, Taylor Lane had his first three-hit game of the season and had two doubles in the process. Hunter Bishop, Alika Williams, Lyle Lin and Gage Canning all had two-hit efforts as well.
The Sun Devils took advantage of a sloppy defensive inning from Washington State in the first, plating four runs behind a combination of hits and errors. Alika Williams had the big bat in the frame, double to left center to plate two runners and give ASU a 3-0 lead. Gage Workman followed that up with an RBI single of his own to make it 4-0.
WSU came roaring back, however, plating six runs in the bottom of the second inning to take the lead and forcing ASU to go to the bullpen early.
Stadler was exceptional in the role, inducing three double plays in his first 3.2 scoreless innings of action to keep ASU within striking distance.
ASU picked away at the Cougar lead, scoring on a squeeze play in the top of the third following a well-placed drag bunt from Hunter Bishop to score Lane and cut the score to 6-5.
The Sun Devils went back on top in the top of the sixth behind Torkelson's shot to center, a 450-footer that sailed over the batter's eye and beyond the trees onto the Washington State campus. The two-run blast scored Gage Canning, who had legged out a two-out infield single just ahead of Torkelson to keep the inning alive as ASU took a 7-6 advantage.
Washington State quickly responded in the bottom half of the frame, scoring on an error by Stadler and putting runners on the corners with no outs. ASU went to the bullpen in favor of Raish and the redshirt freshman was calm, cool and collected as he fanned two and induced an inning-ending groundout to escape the inning without further damage and things all square at 7-7.
Raish powered the Sun Devils into extra innings but ASU could not find the offense it needed to close things out, seeing things slip away with a walk-off home run by the Cougars' Justin Harrer to lead off the bottom of the 10th inning and hand ASU its second consecutive 'Friday'-night loss in extra innings.
The two teams will convene for the second game of the series tomorrow at 5 p.m. PT on the Pac-12 Network.