EUGENE – The No. 10 Sun Devil Baseball team escaped jam after jam on Saturday evening, rallying from a four-run deficit to send the game to extra innings. But ASU could only play with fire for so long before Oregon's walk-off home run in the 12
th inning handed ASU its first loss of the season in a 5-4 defeat.
Evan Williams's solo home run in the bottom of the 12
thended ASU's season opening winning streak at 21 games. ASU was the lone remaining undefeated team in the country entering Saturday night. The Sun Devils 21 consecutive wins are tied with the 1961 team for the second-best start in program history.
Lyle Lin was 3-for-5 to lead the Sun Devil offense while
Spencer Torkelson went 2-for-6 with two RBIs. However, the Sun Devil offense was unable to capitalize despite outhitting Oregon 10-6 in the effort while also striking out a season high 18 times.
ASU bent but didn't break all evening, working around a disastrous third inning to blank the Ducks in eight consecutive innings prior to the walk-off hit. The ASU bullpen was instrumental in the cause, allowing just three hits in 8.2 innings of work after
Boyd Vander Kooi struggled with his command in the start.
The Sun Devils stranded 15 Oregon baserunners over the course of the night and struck out 12 Oregon players, but also allowed 11 walks, two hit batters and two errors on the evening while not getting enough done on the offensive end.
Erik Tolman was very efficient in relief for the Devils, going 4.2 innings with just one hit allowed while striking out four and keeping Oregon off the scoreboard to set up the Sun Devil rally.
ASU also got solid innings from
Brady Corrigan out of the pen, as the sophomore went 2.2 innings with four strikeouts and just one hit allowed – unfortunately that hit being the one that ended the game.
ASU rallied late in regulation from a 4-0 deficit – all runs coming in a troublesome third inning – with
Spencer Torkelson getting the Sun Devils on the board in the top of the seventh with a two-out, two-run bases loaded single to cut the Oregon lead to 4-2.
The Sun Devils brought things even in the top of the eighth behind an RBI double from
Carter Aldrete and an RBI single from
Gage Workman to eventually force the game into extra innings.
ASU worked out of an incredible jam in the bottom of the 10
th, as Oregon loaded the bases with no outs before
Brady Corrigan induced a popout, strikeout, groundout combination to escape the frame unscathed and keep the extra innings coming.
ASU had its best shot to do some damage in the top of the 12
th, with
Trevor Hauver drawing a leadoff walk to get on base for the heart of the ASU order. But a Torkelson hit into a double play, Oregon intentionally walked
Hunter Bishop and got out of the frame with a groundout to set up Williams one-out home run in the bottom half of the inning.
The Sun Devils return to action on Sunday looking to start a new streak and also to take the series against the Ducks. First pitch in scheduled for 12 p.m. PT and will be available online via Oregon's Pac-12 Network Live Stream.
