ASU Baseball: Sun Devils Win 8th in a Row
By Mike Slifer
Last night, the ASU baseball team beat Washington State 12-8 for their eighth win in a row.
This was game one of a three game series with the Cougars, the last series of the regular season. ASU plays Washington State again today at 4:00. The game can be seen on the PAC-12 network.
Starting ASU pitcher Brett Lilek went six innings. His only bad inning was the second, where he had some control problems and gave up four runs. Lilek settled down and battled hard enough to shut the door on the Cougars for four more innings. Jordan Aboites played the role of vulture and secured the win with one and a third innings pitched late in the game.
Offensively, the top of the ASU lineup did most of the damage against the Cougars.
Lead-off hitter Johnny Sewald went 3 for 6 with two runs scored and one RBI. Two-hole hitter Drew Stankiewicz stayed hot by going 2-5 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Jake Peevyhouse and Dalton Dinatale both went 2-4 and combined for 3 runs and 3 RBI’s.
This game was a little strange as baseball goes, but not atypical for a college game. The scoring for both teams came in spurts, with ASU getting the best of the Cougars by exploding for six runs in the top of the 8th inning. That scoring spree was started by a lead-off triple from Trever Allen.
So, game one goes to the Sun Devils. The momentum for ASU is intact as they will be playing for their ninth consecutive victory this afternoon. Most experts believe ASU is already in the NCAA tournament and that they are really only playing for seeding right now. Probably true, but the Sun Devils need to keep playing hungry to secure that playoff berth and keep the hot streak alive.