PHOENIX – Khristian Curtis struck out eight over a career-high six innings to clinch a three-game sweep over Washington State, 4-1, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Saturday afternoon to keep Sun Devil Baseball at the top of the Pac-12 league standings.
Curtis retired 16 of the first 18 batters faced in Arizona State's (23-9, 10-2 Pac-12) victory over the Cougars (18-12, 5-9 Pac-12), with the lone blemish coming on a solo homer in the sixth. Owen Stevenson recorded his second save in as many days and fourth of the season to seal the deal.
Will Rogers blasted the go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth and Nu'u Contrades nailed an insurance run on a solo blast in the sixth. Ryan Campos made it 4-1 with a solo jack in the eighth.
The victory marks the fastest Sun Devil Baseball has gotten to 10 conference wins in a season since 2009 when the Sun Devils began Pac-12 play 10-1 and finished the season 17-3 in conference play.
ASU has won 17 of its last 19 games and are winners of four straight series to begin its Conference of Champions slate and swept its second Pac-12 home series to start the season. It is the first time ASU has won its first four conference series since 2015.
THE TURNING POINT
The offense sputtered early against WSU's Grant Taylor with a reminiscent scene from Taylor's two-hit complete game shutout over The Sun Devils last season in Pullman. After four scoreless frames, the Sun Devils finally broke through following a leadoff HBP in the bottom of the fifth. Will Rogers broke out of his slump in a big way as he cranked a 438-foot home run over the Wall of Honor to left-center field to give the Sun Devils its first lead of the game in the fifth inning. Following a solo shot from the Cougars, Curtis stranded runners on second and third with a two-out strikeout in the sixth inning - his last pitch of the day a nasty slider to strand the pair.
THE BIG MOMENT
Khristian Curtis gave up a solo shot in the top of the sixth before WSU was able to get the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs. Sun Devil head coach Willie Bloomquist had come out to relieve the starter from the game ball but was talked into allowing a resilient Curtis to get out of the inning. Curtis responded with a pair of nasty sliders and a swinging strikeout to strand the runners in scoring position and complete his day, holding on to a 2-1 lead.
THE FINAL STRAW
Nu'u Contrades picked up his pitcher just four pitches later by crushing a home run to center field for his team-leading seventh home run of the season, giving the Sun Devils a two-run lead with nine outs left. Combined with a three-inning bullpen effort of one-hit ball, Ryan Campos sent a 429-foot solo shot over the right-field fence to give the Sun Devils a three-run lead heading into the final inning and Owen Stevenson calmly sat the side down in order with a pair of strikeouts and his second save in as many days.
NOTABLES
First Inning
In the top of the first, Sun Devil Starter Khristan Curtis kicked off the game with two strikeouts and only allowed one walk. The Cougars flew out to end the inning. The Sun Devils headed to the bottom half with the score tied. In the bottom half, the Sun Devils went down in order via a popout, flyout and ground out. The game was tied and headed to the second.
Second Inning
In the top half, Curtis only needed 12 pitches to work the inning and hurled another two strikeouts. He was under 30 pitches with four strikeouts through two innings. The game was still tied. In the bottom half, the Sun Devils went down in order again via two flyouts and a groundout. The game was still tied.
Third Inning
In the top of the third, the Cougars acquired the first hit between both teams with a one-out double. Another ground out advanced the runner to third with two down, but Curtis induced a flyout to escape the jam. Curtis only threw 40 pitches through three innings. The game was tied. In the bottom half, Isaiah Jackson walked which gave the Sun Devils their first base runner of the day. The Sun Devils could not do anything with him as a popup, line out and flyout ended the inning. The game was tied.
Fourth Inning
In the top half, Khristian Curtis retired Cougar hitters in order with a couple groundouts and a flyout to work a quick inning. Curtis has 53 pitches through four innings. The bottom half looked promising for the Sun Devils with back-to-back one-out singles, their first hits of the day, however a Jacob Tobias GIDP ended the threat. The game was tied going to the fifth.
Fifth Inning
Curtis continued to deliver in the fifth. An additional two strikeouts and a foul out put the Cougars down in order for the second time in this game. Curtis has thrown 63 pitches through five innings with seven strikeouts. The game was tied.
The Sun Devils struck first in the bottom half. Jackson was hit-by-pitch with one out to give the Sun Devils a base runner in the fifth. Then Will Rogers launched a two-run shot to give the Sun Devils the 2-0 advantage. The rest of the inning was quiet. The Sun Devils led 2-0.
Sixth Inning
The Cougars answered immediately in the top half with a one-out solo home run into the Sun Devil Bullpen to cut the deficit in half. A couple of singles and an error on the throw back into the infield by Jackson had Cougars at second and third with two-outs. Willie Bloomquist went out to the mound to have a conversation with Curtis and he kept him in the game. Curtis delivered a two-out strikeout to get out of the jam. The Sun Devils led 2-1.
Contrades had an answer of his own with a leadoff solo home run to extend the Sun Devils lead back to two. The rest of the inning was quiet for the Sun Devils, but the lead was extended back to two.
Seventh Inning
Jesse Wainscott came in to relieve Curtis of his terrific outing. Wainscott picked up right where Curtis left off and retired Cougar hitters in order via two strikeouts and a flyout. The Sun Devils led 3-1.
Luke Hill provided a leadoff single for the Sun Devils in the bottom half, but three groundouts in-a-row ended any threat for the Sun Devils. They still led 3-1.
Eighth Inning
The Cougars had a two-out threat brewing courtesy of a double and a walk to have runners at first and second. Blake Pivaroff entered the game relieving Wainscott and punched out the Cougars batter which retired the side and eliminated the threat. The Sun Devils still led 3-1.
The Sun Devils added some much needed insurance via a Ryan Campos home run into the Sun Devils bullpen to extend their lead to three. Nothing more happened in the inning. The Sun Devils led 4-1 looking to close it out.
Ninth Inning
Owen Stevenson comes in to relieve Blake Pivaroff. He put down the Cougars in order via a flyout and two strikeouts to give the Sun Devils the 4-1 victory and the series sweep against the Washington State Cougars.
ON DECK:
Arizona State resumes its non-conference schedule with a return-trip to Grand Canyon Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. MST at GCU Ballpark.
Curtis retired 16 of the first 18 batters faced in Arizona State's (23-9, 10-2 Pac-12) victory over the Cougars (18-12, 5-9 Pac-12), with the lone blemish coming on a solo homer in the sixth. Owen Stevenson recorded his second save in as many days and fourth of the season to seal the deal.
Will Rogers blasted the go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth and Nu'u Contrades nailed an insurance run on a solo blast in the sixth. Ryan Campos made it 4-1 with a solo jack in the eighth.
The victory marks the fastest Sun Devil Baseball has gotten to 10 conference wins in a season since 2009 when the Sun Devils began Pac-12 play 10-1 and finished the season 17-3 in conference play.
ASU has won 17 of its last 19 games and are winners of four straight series to begin its Conference of Champions slate and swept its second Pac-12 home series to start the season. It is the first time ASU has won its first four conference series since 2015.
THE TURNING POINT
The offense sputtered early against WSU's Grant Taylor with a reminiscent scene from Taylor's two-hit complete game shutout over The Sun Devils last season in Pullman. After four scoreless frames, the Sun Devils finally broke through following a leadoff HBP in the bottom of the fifth. Will Rogers broke out of his slump in a big way as he cranked a 438-foot home run over the Wall of Honor to left-center field to give the Sun Devils its first lead of the game in the fifth inning. Following a solo shot from the Cougars, Curtis stranded runners on second and third with a two-out strikeout in the sixth inning - his last pitch of the day a nasty slider to strand the pair.
THE BIG MOMENT
Khristian Curtis gave up a solo shot in the top of the sixth before WSU was able to get the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with two outs. Sun Devil head coach Willie Bloomquist had come out to relieve the starter from the game ball but was talked into allowing a resilient Curtis to get out of the inning. Curtis responded with a pair of nasty sliders and a swinging strikeout to strand the runners in scoring position and complete his day, holding on to a 2-1 lead.
THE FINAL STRAW
Nu'u Contrades picked up his pitcher just four pitches later by crushing a home run to center field for his team-leading seventh home run of the season, giving the Sun Devils a two-run lead with nine outs left. Combined with a three-inning bullpen effort of one-hit ball, Ryan Campos sent a 429-foot solo shot over the right-field fence to give the Sun Devils a three-run lead heading into the final inning and Owen Stevenson calmly sat the side down in order with a pair of strikeouts and his second save in as many days.
NOTABLES
- ASU has won 13 straight home games vs. Washington State and improve to 26-4 against the Cougars since 2005.
- Ryan Campos who had the highest OBP in the Pac-12 before today (.528), has reached base in 30 straight games and in 67-of-74 (90.5%) of games with the Sun Devils overall.
- Curtis recorded 17 strikeouts in his last two games, the most in any two-game stretch in his career. Additionally, his eight-strikeout performance today is the second-most in his career. He never recorded more than seven strikeouts in 11 previous appearances in his career before his last start.
- The ASU bullpen was exceptional this series, striking out 21 and allowed just two runs over 13.1 innings. They allowed a measly one hit, no walks and no runs in the series finale.
- Sun Devil pitchers have struck out double digit opponents in six of the last eight games and seven of the last 11. The group did so in just five of the first 21 games of the season.
- Owen Stevenson, who recorded his fourth save of the season, has been scoreless in nine of his last 10 outings out of the bullpen.
- Washington State starter Grant Taylor, who threw a complete game two-hit shutout last season against the Sun Devils, was tagged for three earned runs on five hits today. It's also the first start of his career without registering a strikeout. All 20 Sun Devils he faced were able to put the ball in play.
- It's just the second time since 2017 that the Sun Devils recorded multiple home runs in each game of a three-game series. The Sun Devils are 6-0 in these games.
- The win moves ASU to 12-2 when hitting two or more home runs this season, including all three games this weekend.
- Arizona State is 13-0 when allowing less than five runs in the 2023 campaign.
- For the third straight game, Sun Devil hitters held Cougar pitchers below their season average of 11.1 K/9 entering the series, striking out just four times. The WSU mark led the Pac-12 entering the weekend and was Top-15 in the country.
- Washington State's five hits ties the fewest hits in a game this season.
- In 32 games, this season, the Sun Devil bullpen has a 4.58 ERA with 14-3 record in decisions along with nine saves, an opponents batting average of .232 and 143 strikeouts to 69 walks. In 2022, through the same opening 32 games, ASU relievers had a 6.63 ERA with a 6-13 record in decisions and 120 strikeouts to a loud 93 walks, along with nine saves. They were also allowing opponents to hit .292.
- Washington State entered the weekend scoring 7.3 runs per game and scored eight total against the Sun Devils.
First Inning
In the top of the first, Sun Devil Starter Khristan Curtis kicked off the game with two strikeouts and only allowed one walk. The Cougars flew out to end the inning. The Sun Devils headed to the bottom half with the score tied. In the bottom half, the Sun Devils went down in order via a popout, flyout and ground out. The game was tied and headed to the second.
Second Inning
In the top half, Curtis only needed 12 pitches to work the inning and hurled another two strikeouts. He was under 30 pitches with four strikeouts through two innings. The game was still tied. In the bottom half, the Sun Devils went down in order again via two flyouts and a groundout. The game was still tied.
Third Inning
In the top of the third, the Cougars acquired the first hit between both teams with a one-out double. Another ground out advanced the runner to third with two down, but Curtis induced a flyout to escape the jam. Curtis only threw 40 pitches through three innings. The game was tied. In the bottom half, Isaiah Jackson walked which gave the Sun Devils their first base runner of the day. The Sun Devils could not do anything with him as a popup, line out and flyout ended the inning. The game was tied.
Fourth Inning
In the top half, Khristian Curtis retired Cougar hitters in order with a couple groundouts and a flyout to work a quick inning. Curtis has 53 pitches through four innings. The bottom half looked promising for the Sun Devils with back-to-back one-out singles, their first hits of the day, however a Jacob Tobias GIDP ended the threat. The game was tied going to the fifth.
Fifth Inning
Curtis continued to deliver in the fifth. An additional two strikeouts and a foul out put the Cougars down in order for the second time in this game. Curtis has thrown 63 pitches through five innings with seven strikeouts. The game was tied.
The Sun Devils struck first in the bottom half. Jackson was hit-by-pitch with one out to give the Sun Devils a base runner in the fifth. Then Will Rogers launched a two-run shot to give the Sun Devils the 2-0 advantage. The rest of the inning was quiet. The Sun Devils led 2-0.
Sixth Inning
The Cougars answered immediately in the top half with a one-out solo home run into the Sun Devil Bullpen to cut the deficit in half. A couple of singles and an error on the throw back into the infield by Jackson had Cougars at second and third with two-outs. Willie Bloomquist went out to the mound to have a conversation with Curtis and he kept him in the game. Curtis delivered a two-out strikeout to get out of the jam. The Sun Devils led 2-1.
Contrades had an answer of his own with a leadoff solo home run to extend the Sun Devils lead back to two. The rest of the inning was quiet for the Sun Devils, but the lead was extended back to two.
Seventh Inning
Jesse Wainscott came in to relieve Curtis of his terrific outing. Wainscott picked up right where Curtis left off and retired Cougar hitters in order via two strikeouts and a flyout. The Sun Devils led 3-1.
Luke Hill provided a leadoff single for the Sun Devils in the bottom half, but three groundouts in-a-row ended any threat for the Sun Devils. They still led 3-1.
Eighth Inning
The Cougars had a two-out threat brewing courtesy of a double and a walk to have runners at first and second. Blake Pivaroff entered the game relieving Wainscott and punched out the Cougars batter which retired the side and eliminated the threat. The Sun Devils still led 3-1.
The Sun Devils added some much needed insurance via a Ryan Campos home run into the Sun Devils bullpen to extend their lead to three. Nothing more happened in the inning. The Sun Devils led 4-1 looking to close it out.
Ninth Inning
Owen Stevenson comes in to relieve Blake Pivaroff. He put down the Cougars in order via a flyout and two strikeouts to give the Sun Devils the 4-1 victory and the series sweep against the Washington State Cougars.
ON DECK:
Arizona State resumes its non-conference schedule with a return-trip to Grand Canyon Tuesday night. First pitch is set for 6:00 p.m. MST at GCU Ballpark.