PHOENIX, Ariz. – There would be no free baseball Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium after Sam Ferri hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the No. 19 Sun Devil Baseball team an 8-7 victory over Washington State.
Ferri's first collegiate home run could not have come at a better time as the junior catcher – who missed the vast majority of his first two seasons to injury – kept the Sun Devils undefeated at 18-0 on the year and 2-0 in Pac-12 play.
The Sun Devils hit three home runs on the day with Spencer Torkelson and Gage Workman each adding their third homers of the season. It was ASU's second walk-off home run of the season after ASU hadn't had one since Opening Weekend in 2014 prior to the 2019 haul.
Torkelson and Ferri each finished 2-for-4 for the day with Ferri recording a crucial game-tying RBI single in in the seventh inning as well in Saturday's back and forth affair.
The Sun Devil defense turned three double plays for the second consecutive night for six double plays on the series. None was more important than the one to end the top of the ninth inning with the game tied and runners on the corners with just one out. Carter Aldrete's leaping snag on a line drive and ensuing throw to first for the force stranded the go-ahead run at third and set the table for Ferri.
Ferri responded in kind, taking a fast ball on a hitter's count deep down the left field line and just inside the foul post for the first home run of his career and ASU's 32ndhome run of the season.
Chaz Montoya (2-0) earned the win as the pitcher of record for the Sun Devils on Ferri's go-ahead bomb, inducing that ninth-inning double play to give the Sun Devils a chance.
ASU got 6.1 solid innings out of Boyd Vander Kooi as the sophomore struck out four and was largely efficient outside a tough fourth inning in which the Cougars tagged him for three runs.
The Sun Devils quickly bounced out the gate in this game up after Torkelson lifted a solo shot to left field in the first inning.
Gage Workman continued delivering home runs as he did twice last night, changing things up and doing so as a right-handed hitter with a two-run home run to deep left center in the second inning to make it 3-0 ASU after two innings.
Washington State put up three runs in the fourth inning to tie the game up but ASU responded with a Trevor Hauver score on a wild pitch in the sixth to retake a 4-3 lead.
However, the Cougars did not go quietly into the night, taking their first lead of the game with a two run seventh to make it 5-4.
A one-out single from Myles Denson in the bottom half of the way led to Dusty Garcia pinch running and arguably providing two of the pivotal moments of the game. With Ferri at the plate and behind in the count, Garcia stole second and then took third on an errant pitch. Ferri did the rest as he muscled an RBI single through the left side to knot things back up at 5-5.
ASU would go on to load the bases for the defending Pac-12 Player of the Week and Hunter Bishop delivered with a single through the right side to bring home two runs to make it 7-5.
However, the Cougars responded with a run in the top of the eighth and another in a tumultuous top of the ninth that required some big pitches from Chaz Montoya and key defensive play from Aldrete at second to limit the damage and give ASU the chance for the walk-off.
The series versus Washington State closes out tomorrow at noon. It will be broadcasted once again on Pac-12 Network Arizona and NBC Sports 1060 AM KDUS.
Ferri's first collegiate home run could not have come at a better time as the junior catcher – who missed the vast majority of his first two seasons to injury – kept the Sun Devils undefeated at 18-0 on the year and 2-0 in Pac-12 play.
The Sun Devils hit three home runs on the day with Spencer Torkelson and Gage Workman each adding their third homers of the season. It was ASU's second walk-off home run of the season after ASU hadn't had one since Opening Weekend in 2014 prior to the 2019 haul.
Torkelson and Ferri each finished 2-for-4 for the day with Ferri recording a crucial game-tying RBI single in in the seventh inning as well in Saturday's back and forth affair.
The Sun Devil defense turned three double plays for the second consecutive night for six double plays on the series. None was more important than the one to end the top of the ninth inning with the game tied and runners on the corners with just one out. Carter Aldrete's leaping snag on a line drive and ensuing throw to first for the force stranded the go-ahead run at third and set the table for Ferri.
Ferri responded in kind, taking a fast ball on a hitter's count deep down the left field line and just inside the foul post for the first home run of his career and ASU's 32ndhome run of the season.
Chaz Montoya (2-0) earned the win as the pitcher of record for the Sun Devils on Ferri's go-ahead bomb, inducing that ninth-inning double play to give the Sun Devils a chance.
ASU got 6.1 solid innings out of Boyd Vander Kooi as the sophomore struck out four and was largely efficient outside a tough fourth inning in which the Cougars tagged him for three runs.
The Sun Devils quickly bounced out the gate in this game up after Torkelson lifted a solo shot to left field in the first inning.
Gage Workman continued delivering home runs as he did twice last night, changing things up and doing so as a right-handed hitter with a two-run home run to deep left center in the second inning to make it 3-0 ASU after two innings.
Washington State put up three runs in the fourth inning to tie the game up but ASU responded with a Trevor Hauver score on a wild pitch in the sixth to retake a 4-3 lead.
However, the Cougars did not go quietly into the night, taking their first lead of the game with a two run seventh to make it 5-4.
A one-out single from Myles Denson in the bottom half of the way led to Dusty Garcia pinch running and arguably providing two of the pivotal moments of the game. With Ferri at the plate and behind in the count, Garcia stole second and then took third on an errant pitch. Ferri did the rest as he muscled an RBI single through the left side to knot things back up at 5-5.
ASU would go on to load the bases for the defending Pac-12 Player of the Week and Hunter Bishop delivered with a single through the right side to bring home two runs to make it 7-5.
However, the Cougars responded with a run in the top of the eighth and another in a tumultuous top of the ninth that required some big pitches from Chaz Montoya and key defensive play from Aldrete at second to limit the damage and give ASU the chance for the walk-off.
The series versus Washington State closes out tomorrow at noon. It will be broadcasted once again on Pac-12 Network Arizona and NBC Sports 1060 AM KDUS.