PHOENIX – Gage Workman homered from both sides of the plate and Justin Fall settled in to a quality start as No. 8 Sun Devil Baseball swept Fresno State with an 8-3 effort on Sunday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Workman tied the game up with a solo shot in the fourth from the right side of the plate before blowing the game open with a two-run bomb from the left side in the fifth to pace the Sun Devil offense. He was one of six players to record multiple hits for ASU on the day, including Spencer Torkelson, Trevor Hauver, Hunter Jump, Nate Baez, and Nick Cheema.
An unearned run and some soft contact led to an early 3-2 lead for the Bulldogs, but Justin Fall settled in after that and didn't allow a hit or a run over the final 12 batters he faced. The Sun Devil bullpen did the rest as ASU closed out the game not allowing a hit over the final 22 batters it faced.
The Turning Point
A Mound Visit. A soft single to opposite field in the top of the third put Fresno State on top, 3-2. Pitching coach Jason Kelly utilized his mound visit to chat with Justin Fall, who was pitching well but the balls were finding green grass. Whatever Kelly said seemed to spark the junior, as Fall stranded a pair on the base path to keep it a one-run game.
Workman picked him up from there, tying the game on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the fourth as ASU went ahead on an Alika Williams RBIs sac fly to make it 4-3. After Fall retired his eighth-straight batter in the top of the fifth, ASU blew things open in the bottom half behind a two-RBI Hunter Jump double followed by Workman's second homer in as many innings – this one from the opposite side of the plate to make it an 8-3 game that would last until the end.
The Big Number
22. The Sun Devils did not allow a single hit over the final 22 batters it faced in the contest, holding Fresno State to four hits total, all coming in the first 2.1 innings of action. Seth Tomczak and Boyd Vander Kooi spelled Fall after six innings, both logging 1-2-3 frames before RJ Dabovich closed things off as he worked around a pair of walks in the ninth to improve ASU to 5-0 on the week.
Notables
INNING-BY-INNING
First inning
Fall faced the minimum after a leadoff single behind a 6-4-3 and a strikeout of the potent Zach Presno. Torkelson gave one a ride to the warning track in right and Hauver extended his hitting streak to 15 games but ASU couldn't capitalize.
Second inning
FSU got on the board first following a leadoff fielding error but Fall limited the damage to a run. ASU rebounded right back like it has all series behind a two-out rally. Dusty Garcia brought a pair across with a double to opposite field and a 2-1 Devil lead.
Third inning
Fresno State immediately came back and plated a pair of runs in the third and threated to do more with two on and one out, but a mound visit seemed to settle Fall in as he got a strikeout-groundout to end the frame. Torkelson singled to lead off the inning but that was the limit of the damage.
Fourth inning
Fall picked up a pair of strikeouts and his first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Gage Workman took the first pitch he saw out of the park to tie things up. Nate Baez would walk and later score on a Alika Williams sac fly to give ASU a 4-3 lead it would not relinquish.
Fifth inning
Another 1-2-3 inning for Fall gave him 8 straight retired batters and the Sun Devils bats covered him in the bottom of the frame. A leadoff double from Hauver and Drew Swift HBP led to two more RBIs from Hunter Jump with his double down the right field line. Workman stepped to the other side of the plate and recorded his second homer of the day in back-to-back plate appearances. To make it a five-run game at 8-3.
Sixth inning
Fall bounced back from a leadoff HBP behind some help from his defense as Workman turned a laser ground in the hot corner for a double play before Alika Williams made a great diving stab and play from his needs for a force out to end the frame and cap off a solid day on the mound. The Devils threatened with a pair in scoring position and one out but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Seventh Inning
Seth Tomczak entered and recorded a a quiet 1-2-3 frame. ASU put two on with two outs but they remained stranded.
Eighth inning
Boyd Vander Kooi provided a flawless inning of relief. Hauver added his second double and third hit of the day but no runs scored.
Ninth inning
RJ Dabovich worked around a pair of walks to close the game out. The Sun Devils did not allow a single hit over the final 22 batters of the game (from the end of the third inning to the conclusion).
Up next
The Sun Devils will host rival Arizona in a midweek non-conference tilt on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. AZT. It is scheduled to be ASU's first game of the season to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. Fans should monitor @ASU_Baseball, however, with expected inclement weather in the area for the week.
Workman tied the game up with a solo shot in the fourth from the right side of the plate before blowing the game open with a two-run bomb from the left side in the fifth to pace the Sun Devil offense. He was one of six players to record multiple hits for ASU on the day, including Spencer Torkelson, Trevor Hauver, Hunter Jump, Nate Baez, and Nick Cheema.
An unearned run and some soft contact led to an early 3-2 lead for the Bulldogs, but Justin Fall settled in after that and didn't allow a hit or a run over the final 12 batters he faced. The Sun Devil bullpen did the rest as ASU closed out the game not allowing a hit over the final 22 batters it faced.
The Turning Point
A Mound Visit. A soft single to opposite field in the top of the third put Fresno State on top, 3-2. Pitching coach Jason Kelly utilized his mound visit to chat with Justin Fall, who was pitching well but the balls were finding green grass. Whatever Kelly said seemed to spark the junior, as Fall stranded a pair on the base path to keep it a one-run game.
Workman picked him up from there, tying the game on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the fourth as ASU went ahead on an Alika Williams RBIs sac fly to make it 4-3. After Fall retired his eighth-straight batter in the top of the fifth, ASU blew things open in the bottom half behind a two-RBI Hunter Jump double followed by Workman's second homer in as many innings – this one from the opposite side of the plate to make it an 8-3 game that would last until the end.
The Big Number
22. The Sun Devils did not allow a single hit over the final 22 batters it faced in the contest, holding Fresno State to four hits total, all coming in the first 2.1 innings of action. Seth Tomczak and Boyd Vander Kooi spelled Fall after six innings, both logging 1-2-3 frames before RJ Dabovich closed things off as he worked around a pair of walks in the ninth to improve ASU to 5-0 on the week.
Notables
- Trevor Hauver extended his hitting streak to a team-high 15 straight games while Hunter Jump extended his streak to eight games.
- Spencer Torkelson has reached base in all 17 games this season and 21 straight games dating back to last year.
- The Sun Devils have allowed five or fewer runs in 16 of the team's 17 games this season.
- After allowed 18 runs a week ago in a bizarre Sunday game against Nebraska, ASU responded by going 5-0 with five games in six days and allowing just 12 runs TOTAL in those five games.
INNING-BY-INNING
First inning
Fall faced the minimum after a leadoff single behind a 6-4-3 and a strikeout of the potent Zach Presno. Torkelson gave one a ride to the warning track in right and Hauver extended his hitting streak to 15 games but ASU couldn't capitalize.
Second inning
FSU got on the board first following a leadoff fielding error but Fall limited the damage to a run. ASU rebounded right back like it has all series behind a two-out rally. Dusty Garcia brought a pair across with a double to opposite field and a 2-1 Devil lead.
Third inning
Fresno State immediately came back and plated a pair of runs in the third and threated to do more with two on and one out, but a mound visit seemed to settle Fall in as he got a strikeout-groundout to end the frame. Torkelson singled to lead off the inning but that was the limit of the damage.
Fourth inning
Fall picked up a pair of strikeouts and his first 1-2-3 inning of the game. Gage Workman took the first pitch he saw out of the park to tie things up. Nate Baez would walk and later score on a Alika Williams sac fly to give ASU a 4-3 lead it would not relinquish.
Fifth inning
Another 1-2-3 inning for Fall gave him 8 straight retired batters and the Sun Devils bats covered him in the bottom of the frame. A leadoff double from Hauver and Drew Swift HBP led to two more RBIs from Hunter Jump with his double down the right field line. Workman stepped to the other side of the plate and recorded his second homer of the day in back-to-back plate appearances. To make it a five-run game at 8-3.
Sixth inning
Fall bounced back from a leadoff HBP behind some help from his defense as Workman turned a laser ground in the hot corner for a double play before Alika Williams made a great diving stab and play from his needs for a force out to end the frame and cap off a solid day on the mound. The Devils threatened with a pair in scoring position and one out but back-to-back strikeouts ended the threat.
Seventh Inning
Seth Tomczak entered and recorded a a quiet 1-2-3 frame. ASU put two on with two outs but they remained stranded.
Eighth inning
Boyd Vander Kooi provided a flawless inning of relief. Hauver added his second double and third hit of the day but no runs scored.
Ninth inning
RJ Dabovich worked around a pair of walks to close the game out. The Sun Devils did not allow a single hit over the final 22 batters of the game (from the end of the third inning to the conclusion).
Up next
The Sun Devils will host rival Arizona in a midweek non-conference tilt on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. AZT. It is scheduled to be ASU's first game of the season to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network. Fans should monitor @ASU_Baseball, however, with expected inclement weather in the area for the week.