LOS ANGELES – The Sun Devil bats finally found their groove after a slow weekend and Arizona State withstood a frantic USC rally to take the series finale on the road from the Trojans, 11-8, on Sunday afternoon at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles.
Spencer Torkelson knocked his eighth home run of the season and second in as many games, a three-run shot during a monstrous fourth and fifth inning that saw ASU plate nine runs en route to an eight-run lead which they would have to hold on to down the stretch for a gritty road victory. This win moved ASU to 26-4 on the season and 9-3 in the Pac-12 – just one game back of first in the league standings.
Torkelson finished 2-for-4 on the day with four RBIs and three runs scored to pace a Sun Devil offense that recorded 14 hits and eight walks while striking out just six times. Alika Williams was 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Trevor Hauver, Hunter Bishop and Drew Swift added multi-hit efforts as well.
Erik Tolman recorded two critical outs in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the season while Brady Corrigan soldiered through 4.1 solid innings of action after starter RJ Dabovich was forced to leave the game early with shoulder soreness as he earned the victory and moved to 3-1 on the season.
The Sun Devil offense finally came alive in the series finale, with the Devils jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first behind a Williams RBI groundout and an Aldrete RBI single.
Like they had all weekend, USC responded in kind to the Sun Devil offensive output with a solo shot in the first and tying things up on a Sun Devil defensive error in the second to even things at 2-2.
The Trojans had a shot to open things up in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with just one out after starter RJ Dabovich left the game with arm soreness. Corrigan, like he has all season, stranded the inherited runners with a huge strikeout followed by a flyout to keep things even at 2-2.
For Corrigan, he has now inherited a team-high 22 runners on the season of which only three have scored.
ASU picked their pitcher up with the bats immediately after with a pair of great opposite field pieces of hitting. The Devils loaded the bases with one out for Hauver and the sophomore laces a 1-0 single through the left side to score two and give ASU a 4-2 edge.
USC changed pitchers after the RBI single and Spencer Torkelson welcomed the new reliever in kind, lifting a full count breaking ball to opposite right center field – a 390-foot , three-run shot that was his second homer of the series and eighth of the season – to give ASU a 7-2 advantage.
The Sun Devils weren't done there, dropping a four-spot in the top of the fifth as ASU brought 18 players to the plate over the course of two innings. Torkelson notched a bases-loaded RBI single followed by an Hunter Bishop RBI walk and capped by a two-run Williams single to give ASU a commanding 11-3 lead.
However, the Trojans were not going quietly into the afternoon, picking away at the Sun Devil lead one run and one inning at a time to climb back within 11-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
USC put a scare in the Sun Devils then, loading the bases with one out to bring the tying run to the plate.
That would lead to the call to Tolman, who swift fell behind 3-0 to the first batter he faced before ripping off three straight strikes to get a swinging K for the second out.
Tolman against faced a full count with the bases juiced on the next batter, just missing on the outside corner for what was nearly a game-ending strikeout that turned into an RBI walk to bring USC back within three and bringing the winning run to that plate.
The run was represented by Matthew Acosta, who had given ASU fits all weekend with a four-hit, five-RBI effort on Friday followed by a two-home run performance on Saturday. Acosta laced a line drive to right field that easily looked like it would result in at least one run, if not more. But Carter Aldrete was up to task, timing a leaping grab perfectly to rob the hit and seal the Sun Devil victory in the process.
Spencer Torkelson knocked his eighth home run of the season and second in as many games, a three-run shot during a monstrous fourth and fifth inning that saw ASU plate nine runs en route to an eight-run lead which they would have to hold on to down the stretch for a gritty road victory. This win moved ASU to 26-4 on the season and 9-3 in the Pac-12 – just one game back of first in the league standings.
Torkelson finished 2-for-4 on the day with four RBIs and three runs scored to pace a Sun Devil offense that recorded 14 hits and eight walks while striking out just six times. Alika Williams was 2-for-4 with three RBIs while Trevor Hauver, Hunter Bishop and Drew Swift added multi-hit efforts as well.
Erik Tolman recorded two critical outs in the bottom of the ninth to earn his second save of the season while Brady Corrigan soldiered through 4.1 solid innings of action after starter RJ Dabovich was forced to leave the game early with shoulder soreness as he earned the victory and moved to 3-1 on the season.
The Sun Devil offense finally came alive in the series finale, with the Devils jumping out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first behind a Williams RBI groundout and an Aldrete RBI single.
Like they had all weekend, USC responded in kind to the Sun Devil offensive output with a solo shot in the first and tying things up on a Sun Devil defensive error in the second to even things at 2-2.
The Trojans had a shot to open things up in the bottom of the third, loading the bases with just one out after starter RJ Dabovich left the game with arm soreness. Corrigan, like he has all season, stranded the inherited runners with a huge strikeout followed by a flyout to keep things even at 2-2.
For Corrigan, he has now inherited a team-high 22 runners on the season of which only three have scored.
ASU picked their pitcher up with the bats immediately after with a pair of great opposite field pieces of hitting. The Devils loaded the bases with one out for Hauver and the sophomore laces a 1-0 single through the left side to score two and give ASU a 4-2 edge.
USC changed pitchers after the RBI single and Spencer Torkelson welcomed the new reliever in kind, lifting a full count breaking ball to opposite right center field – a 390-foot , three-run shot that was his second homer of the series and eighth of the season – to give ASU a 7-2 advantage.
The Sun Devils weren't done there, dropping a four-spot in the top of the fifth as ASU brought 18 players to the plate over the course of two innings. Torkelson notched a bases-loaded RBI single followed by an Hunter Bishop RBI walk and capped by a two-run Williams single to give ASU a commanding 11-3 lead.
However, the Trojans were not going quietly into the afternoon, picking away at the Sun Devil lead one run and one inning at a time to climb back within 11-7 heading into the bottom of the ninth.
USC put a scare in the Sun Devils then, loading the bases with one out to bring the tying run to the plate.
That would lead to the call to Tolman, who swift fell behind 3-0 to the first batter he faced before ripping off three straight strikes to get a swinging K for the second out.
Tolman against faced a full count with the bases juiced on the next batter, just missing on the outside corner for what was nearly a game-ending strikeout that turned into an RBI walk to bring USC back within three and bringing the winning run to that plate.
The run was represented by Matthew Acosta, who had given ASU fits all weekend with a four-hit, five-RBI effort on Friday followed by a two-home run performance on Saturday. Acosta laced a line drive to right field that easily looked like it would result in at least one run, if not more. But Carter Aldrete was up to task, timing a leaping grab perfectly to rob the hit and seal the Sun Devil victory in the process.