PALO ALTO – Alec Marsh gave ASU a quality start for the second consecutive weekend and Spencer Torkelson logged another multi-hit game, but Sun Devil Baseball struggled to find timely hitting in a 3-1 loss to No. 2 Stanford on Friday night at the Sunken Diamond.
Making his second career and consecutive Friday night start in Palo Alto, Marsh gave ASU 6.0 solid innings on the mound. He allowed just three earned runs while scattering seventh hits and striking out three. It was his second quality start of his career and his second one in as many starts.
Torkelson and Lyle Lin each finished 2-for-4 on the day to lead the Sun Devil offense, but ASU struggled all day with runners in scoring position. ASU stranded nine batters over the course of the evening.
Trailing 3-0, ASU had its biggest threat in the eighth inning. A pair of singles from Torkelson and Lin put two on with one out for Carter Aldrete. Facing Stanford's midseason All-American closer Jack Little, Aldrete fought off several pitches before knocking an RBI double off the wall in right center to make it 3-1. It was the first run surrendered by Little all season.
ASU struck out on consecutive batters with two runners in scoring position, however, as couldn't push the runs across when it needed.
ASU got two innings of hitless and scoreless relief from its bullpen between Dellan Raish, Jake Godfrey and Brady Corrigan.
Godfrey's outing was particularly of note as he entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and one out to get two strikeouts to get out of the frame without too much damage being done and keeping ASU within a puncher's shot of the Cardinal.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday against the second-ranked Cardinal beginning at 3 p.m. PT.
Making his second career and consecutive Friday night start in Palo Alto, Marsh gave ASU 6.0 solid innings on the mound. He allowed just three earned runs while scattering seventh hits and striking out three. It was his second quality start of his career and his second one in as many starts.
Torkelson and Lyle Lin each finished 2-for-4 on the day to lead the Sun Devil offense, but ASU struggled all day with runners in scoring position. ASU stranded nine batters over the course of the evening.
Trailing 3-0, ASU had its biggest threat in the eighth inning. A pair of singles from Torkelson and Lin put two on with one out for Carter Aldrete. Facing Stanford's midseason All-American closer Jack Little, Aldrete fought off several pitches before knocking an RBI double off the wall in right center to make it 3-1. It was the first run surrendered by Little all season.
ASU struck out on consecutive batters with two runners in scoring position, however, as couldn't push the runs across when it needed.
ASU got two innings of hitless and scoreless relief from its bullpen between Dellan Raish, Jake Godfrey and Brady Corrigan.
Godfrey's outing was particularly of note as he entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with the bases loaded and one out to get two strikeouts to get out of the frame without too much damage being done and keeping ASU within a puncher's shot of the Cardinal.
The Sun Devils return to action on Saturday against the second-ranked Cardinal beginning at 3 p.m. PT.