TEMPE, Ariz. — UC Davis sophomore right-hander
Brett Erwin tied a career-best four strikeouts over a career-long seven innings, while sophomore
Tanner Murray notched his third extra-base hit of the year and senior
Garret Kelly tallied his first home run of 2019, but it wasn't enough to lift the Aggies as the host Sun Devils swept a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon by the scores of 3-2 and 13-3 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The Aggies fell to an even 3-3 overall mark and will look to bounce back in the series finale on Sunday (Feb. 24). The Sun Devils improved to a perfect 6-0 mark on the season.
It was a pitcher's duel as both starters shined, but Arizona State's Alec Marsh (2-0) got the best of the Aggies in the end, allowing two runs (one earned) on seven hits and striking out five over eight innings of work to pick up the win while Erik Tolman posted his first save of the season in a 1-2-3 ninth for the Sun Devils.
Redshirt junior
Chase Lyford (0-1) suffered the loss for the Aggies after allowing two runs on two hits over one third of an inning of work. Erwin (1-0) had a solid outing, allowing just one run on six hits over a career-long seven innings in his second career start, tying a career-high four strikeouts. He retired 14 of the first 17 batters he faced and logged his first career pickoff in the home half of the third inning, shutting down a rally by the Sun Devils.
Kyler Arenado,
Cameron Briggs,
Garret Kelly, and
Logan Denholm, each had singles, while
Alejandro Lara added a double, and
Joseph Myers led all Aggies with a pair of hits.
The Aggies were first to strike on Saturday afternoon taking a 1-0 lead and breaking up a four-inning scoreless deadlock in the visitor half of the fifth. Lara doubled to lead off the inning--his second of the season--and moved to third on a groundout before coming around to score on an RBI-single by Arenado.
The Aggies pushed another run across as an unearned tally in the sixth after
Cooper Morrison reached on a hit-by-pitch and scored when a ball rolled to the left side by Denholm was misplayed, giving UC Davis a 2-0 advantage.
The Sun Devils answered with a run of their own in their half of the sixth, cutting the Aggies' lead in half on a pair of singles and a wild pitch. But it was the bottom of the eighth that proved to be the difference maker for Arizona State, as the Sun Devils strung together two singles and a sac-bunt to tie the game, 2-2, and overtook the lead for good three batters later on a sacrifice fly by Lyle Lin to edge the Aggies 2-3.
In the nightcap, Arizona State jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage in the first, later extending its lead with a seven-run effort in the fifth en route to a 13-3 victory to take the series.
The Aggies got on the board in the visitor half of the third after Murray led off the inning with a double to right center field, moved to third on a groundout by Morrison, and scored on a wild pitch.
But the Sun Devils managed to find an answer for each of the Aggies' scoring efforts, plating two in the third and matching a one-run fourth inning before putting the game out of reach with a seven-run performance in the fifth.
A two-out rally in the sixth produced the Aggies' final run of the contest as Kelly logged his first round tripper of the season to make it 13-3.
Boyd Vander Kooi (1-0) earned the win for Arizona State, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out eight over five innings before turning it over to the bullpen.
Blake Hannah (1-1) suffered the loss for the Aggies, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out three over 2.2 innings of work.
Murray led the Aggies with a 2-for-3 finish at the plate in game two—his second multi-hit performance of the year.
UC Davis returns to action in the series finale tomorrow (Feb. 24) with first pitch scheduled for 11:30 a.m. PT/12:30 p.m. MT.
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation, according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
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