No. 8 Sun Devils Grab Series From Wildcats

The no. 5 Sun Devils made it known that this was their territory this weekend, taking 2/3 games from the Wildcats and winning their 5th straight PAC-12 series.

In an unusual three-game series that overlapped into Monday night, things got started off with a bang in game one on Saturday night.

The Sun Devils pulled off an incredible come-from-behind victory and won the game 5-4.

Down 3-0 in the 4th inning, the Sun Devils managed to put one run on the board in the 4th and three more in the 5th to take the 4-3 lead.

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The Wildcats would tack on one more run in the seventh and tie the game at four a piece late in the game.

ASU closer Ryan Burr shut the Wildcats down in the 9th to give the Sun Devils the chance to walk-off in the bottom of the 9th.

They did just that.

The Sun Devils managed to load the bases in the bottom of the 9th and left fielder Jake Peevyhouse, who homered earlier in the game, singled into right field to drive in the game-winning run from third base.

In front of a crowd of 6,247, ASU’s largest in 33 years, starter Seth Martinez threw five innings and gave up three runs on four hits. He also walked three and struck out two.

Martinez walked away with a no decision though. Burr’s outing in the 9th was good enough to earn him his sixth win of the season. He is now 6-0. ]

Wildcats reliever Nathan Bannister took the loss after starter Cody Hamlin threw 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits.

Sunday night, the momentum continued to roll for the Sun Devils.

They put on a clinic, driving home 13 total runs on 17 hits and won the game 13-7.

They jumped ahead early, putting four runs up in the 1st, three in the 2nd. The red-hot offense continued as ASU put up two more runs in the 5th and four in the 8th.

Wildcats starting pitcher Xavier Borde didn’t even record an out. He gave up all four runs in the bottom of the first. The Sun Devils managed a walk and three hits against him, including a pair of doubles.

Borde was the first of seven pitchers for Arizona on Sunday.

ASU, meanwhile, sent Ryan Kellogg to the mound.

Kellogg went 5 1/3 giving up five runs, four of which were earned, on 10 hits. He walked a batter and struck out six.

His performance earned him his sixth win of the season. He is now 6-1 on the year. The Loss went to Borde, his first. He now sits at 2-1 for the season.

ASU reliever Eric Melbostad was credited with the save, his second, after 3 1/3 innings of work.

The back-to-back wins for the Sun Devils gave them win numbers 22 and 23 overall this season and wins number 10 and 11 in PAC-12 play.

With the momentum, on their side, ASU was hoping to bring out the broom on Monday and sweep Arizona out of town.

They certainly had their chance to and it even looked like they were going to pull it off heading into the 9th inning leading 2-1.

But, the Arizona offense would get to closer Ryan Burr, who has absolutely dominated all year long.

The Wildcats would put a 6 spot on the board and eventually win the game 7-2, spoiling the Sun Devil’s sweep.

ASU starter Brett Lilek threw seven strong innings, giving up just one run and three hits over the course of his outing. He also walked three and struck out five.

Lilek received a no decision, while Burr took the loss, his first of the season. Burr now sits at 6-1 on the season.

Arizona starter Bobby Dalbec lasted just 4 1/3 innings, but did not allow a run to score. The Sun Devils managed just five hits and two walks against him.

Reliever Tyger Talley was awarded his fourth win of the season after his 2 2/3 innings of work to close out the game. Talley now owns a record of 4-0.

Despite the loss, ASU will gladly take the series win.

After the weekend, ASU is now 23-10 overall and 11-4 in PAC-12 play.

Up next, the Sun Devils hit the road for while with stops in Seattle and Tucson. They’ll face Washington for a three game series this weekend and then travel South for a mid-week rematch with the Wildcats on April 22nd.

ASU’s next home series will be on April 24-26 when they host Tennessee Tech.