Inning by inning
First inning
It did not take long for Arizona State to get on the board and establish a lead. Landon Hairston started the game off with a triple down the right field line, immediately sparking a scoring threat. He was brought in on a sacrifice fly from the next batter Austen Roellig, giving ASU a 1-0 lead. Two more hits followed, but ASU was unable to generate any more runs.
Taylor Penn got the start on the mound, the first of his Sun Devil career. He had an efficent first inning, retiring the Wildcats in order on just eight pitches.
Second inning
After the first two batters of the inning were retired, the nine hitter Sam Myers started a rally out of nothing. A two-out single turned into a run scoring opportunity, as Landon Hairston stepped up to the plate. He ripped a double to right field that scored Myers and gave ASU a 2-0 lead.
Arizona generated their first offense of the game in the second, scoring a pair of runs with two outs to tie the game at two. Penn finished the inning with a punch out to limit the damage.
Third inning
For the third consecutive inning, the Sun Devils scored a run. This run helped them regain the lead. Dean Toigo led the inning off with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Garrett Michel brought him in with a sacrifice fly, putting ASU back in front 3-2.
A pair of singles by the Wildcats created a scoring chance for the home side in the bottom half of the frame. Penn was able to calmly work out of it, getting the Arizona cleanup hitter to fly out with two runners on.
Fourth inning
Both teams were held scoreless in the inning for the first time. It turned out to be the last inning for Penn, who provided four innings of solid work in his first start as a Sun Devil.
Fifth inning
The Sun Devils were unable to score in the top half and then made their first call to the bullpen. Alex Overbay relieved Penn and proceeded to throw a scoreless inning, retiring the Wildcats in order.
Sixth inning
ASU's offense was held off the board for a third-straight inning, opening the door for the Wildcats to even things up. A two-out single from the nine-hole hitter off Overbay knotted the game at three.
Seventh inning
As has proven to be true all season, the Sun Devil offense is hard to contain. They posted yet another crooked number in the seventh, scoring three runs to take a 6-3 lead on the road. Dean Toigo provided the initial lead with a run-scoring single, followed by a Contrades two-run double to double-up the Wildcats.
Overbay retired one batter in the seventh before giving way to Sean Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick settled in after a walk to the first batter and a hit that allowed an inherited runner to score. However, that would be all that Arizona would be able to muster against the senior left-hander.
Eighth inning
ASU went down in order in the top half of the eighth and Sean Fitzpatrick got the call once again on the bump. He came through with a fantastic eighth inning, working around a one-out error to keep the ASU lead at 6-4.
Ninth inning
The Sun Devils got a pair of baserunners in the final frame, but were unable to add insurance runs. Closer Derek Schaefer was called upon to close the door in the ninth. That is exactly what he did, as he recorded his fifth save of the season. Schaefer got out of a jam after two singles put the winning run at the plate. Schaefer struck out the final batter of the game to secure the win for Arizona State to open the three-game series.
