SEATTLE – Taking the field with a different look in the starting lineup, the Sun Devil Baseball team responded admirably in putting on a hitting clinic, homering three times and recording 11 hits in an 11-6 victory over the Washington Huskies on Sunday afternoon in Seattle.
The shakeup in the lineup brought an abundance of offense, paced by Hunter Bishop's 3-for-5 effort with a homer, three runs scored and three RBIs in his first appearance of the season in the clean-up role. Alika Williams added two hits with three runs in the three hole scored while Trevor Hauver added a two-run bomb in his first outing of the season not batting out of the leadoff spot. Carter Aldrete also added a two-run shot for the Devils.
While not necessarily sharp on the mound, the Sun Devils got quality pitches in key moments – aided in large part to an incredible defensive effort from Williams - to stymie the Huskies' attempts to rally through the game. The Sun Devils turned three double plays and stranded nine Washington batters in the winning effort.
Williams did his part with seven defensive assists and four putouts. He was a part of all three double plays on the afternoon and at one point played a role in five consecutive outs in the game – including a pivotal fourth inning where he saved several runs in UW's best chance to mount a comeback.
Sam Romero earned the victory, allowing one runs in 2.2 innings of work but helping ASU work out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in that fourth inning as he and Williams mitigated the damage to just two runs coming across in the frame.
R.J. Dabovich made his return to the mound after missing the last couple week to injury. The sophomore earned his first career save with a flawless 1.1 innings of work, including a high-leverage popup in the eighth inning with runners on the corners and Washington's top hitter Nick Kahle at the plate representing the tying run.
The Sun Devil bats were active early and often in this one, with ASU leaving the park three times on the afternoon. In total, ASU knocked eight home runs in the series – its most of a series on the year and notable as Washington had allowed just 20 all season prior to the series in Seattle.
After falling into an early 1-0 hole, ASU blitzed the Huskies in the second with four runs behind a triple from Workman and a two-run homer from Aldrete to stake a 4-1 advantage.
UW rallied for a run in the bottom half of the frame but Bishop got it right back with an RBI groundout following a leadoff triple from Williams.
The Huskies loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth but Sam Romero entered and mitigated the damage, shaking off a run-scoring infield error and a sac fly to hold UW to just two runs in the frame and keep the Devils on top 5-4.
Bishop rallied behind him in the fifth with a two-run shot off the batter's eye in dead center to extend ASU's lead to 7-4.
Williams saved several runs in the bottom of the fifth with runners on second and third and no outs, making an incredible diving play to save a ball on groundout to limit UW to one run and followed that with a head's up toss to home to wipe another runner off the board. He capped the play with a sweet diving tag on a stolen base attempt to end the frame and keep it a 7-5 game.
A leadoff single from Torkelson in the sixth set the table for ASU's third homer of the game, a two-run jack on the first pitch Trevor Hauver saw as he homered for the first time in the series and gave ASU a 9-5 advantage.
UW picked one back in the seventh on a solo shot to remain within striking distance but ASU put that to bed with a two-run ninth inning behind a Lyle Lin RBI single and another run scored on an UW error.
The Sun Devils will return to Phoenix this weekend for a pivotal three-game series against top-ranked UCLA beginning on Friday. The series will be carried by the Pac-12 Network with NBC Sports Radio 1060 AM on hand for those tuning in on the radio.
The shakeup in the lineup brought an abundance of offense, paced by Hunter Bishop's 3-for-5 effort with a homer, three runs scored and three RBIs in his first appearance of the season in the clean-up role. Alika Williams added two hits with three runs in the three hole scored while Trevor Hauver added a two-run bomb in his first outing of the season not batting out of the leadoff spot. Carter Aldrete also added a two-run shot for the Devils.
While not necessarily sharp on the mound, the Sun Devils got quality pitches in key moments – aided in large part to an incredible defensive effort from Williams - to stymie the Huskies' attempts to rally through the game. The Sun Devils turned three double plays and stranded nine Washington batters in the winning effort.
Williams did his part with seven defensive assists and four putouts. He was a part of all three double plays on the afternoon and at one point played a role in five consecutive outs in the game – including a pivotal fourth inning where he saved several runs in UW's best chance to mount a comeback.
Sam Romero earned the victory, allowing one runs in 2.2 innings of work but helping ASU work out of a bases-loaded jam with no outs in that fourth inning as he and Williams mitigated the damage to just two runs coming across in the frame.
R.J. Dabovich made his return to the mound after missing the last couple week to injury. The sophomore earned his first career save with a flawless 1.1 innings of work, including a high-leverage popup in the eighth inning with runners on the corners and Washington's top hitter Nick Kahle at the plate representing the tying run.
The Sun Devil bats were active early and often in this one, with ASU leaving the park three times on the afternoon. In total, ASU knocked eight home runs in the series – its most of a series on the year and notable as Washington had allowed just 20 all season prior to the series in Seattle.
After falling into an early 1-0 hole, ASU blitzed the Huskies in the second with four runs behind a triple from Workman and a two-run homer from Aldrete to stake a 4-1 advantage.
UW rallied for a run in the bottom half of the frame but Bishop got it right back with an RBI groundout following a leadoff triple from Williams.
The Huskies loaded the bases in the bottom of the fourth but Sam Romero entered and mitigated the damage, shaking off a run-scoring infield error and a sac fly to hold UW to just two runs in the frame and keep the Devils on top 5-4.
Bishop rallied behind him in the fifth with a two-run shot off the batter's eye in dead center to extend ASU's lead to 7-4.
Williams saved several runs in the bottom of the fifth with runners on second and third and no outs, making an incredible diving play to save a ball on groundout to limit UW to one run and followed that with a head's up toss to home to wipe another runner off the board. He capped the play with a sweet diving tag on a stolen base attempt to end the frame and keep it a 7-5 game.
A leadoff single from Torkelson in the sixth set the table for ASU's third homer of the game, a two-run jack on the first pitch Trevor Hauver saw as he homered for the first time in the series and gave ASU a 9-5 advantage.
UW picked one back in the seventh on a solo shot to remain within striking distance but ASU put that to bed with a two-run ninth inning behind a Lyle Lin RBI single and another run scored on an UW error.
The Sun Devils will return to Phoenix this weekend for a pivotal three-game series against top-ranked UCLA beginning on Friday. The series will be carried by the Pac-12 Network with NBC Sports Radio 1060 AM on hand for those tuning in on the radio.