Devils Ride the Waves for a 4-3 Win in Mid-Week Matchup

Mike Stockman

Phoenix, Ariz (Feb 26, 2019) The Arizona State University Baseball team (7-0) hosted the Pepperdine Waves in a mid-week match-up at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Tuesday, Feb 26, 2019.

After a few pitches, and an inning and a half of play, Lyle Lin smashed a home run over left field fence which put the Devils on the board 1-0. This was his 17th RBI of the season.

In the top of the third inning, the Devils had a scare when the bases were loaded after a Pepperdine batter was hit by pitch.  The Waves were unable to take advantage of the runners in scoring position when a fly ball was chased down by right fielder Carter Aldrete.

In the top of the fifth, the Waves were able to steal home after an overthrow from home to third allowed Reese Alexiades to score. 

Going into the top of the seventh inning, the Devils led 2-1 but Alexiades got an RBI on a single up the middle tying to game 2-2.

The Devils bounced back to take the lead after a runner got on base followed by a Trevor Hauver home run over center field fence, 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

In the eighth, the Waves loaded the bases, then got an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right field making the score 4-3 in favor of the Devils.

The undefeated Devils were able to hold on to the win by forcing three up three down, finishing the game 4-3, their second worst outing this year. 

 

The Waves (3-4) are at UCSB starting on March 1, 2019 for a three game series.

The Devils (8-0) host Michigan State Spartan in a three game series this weekend starting Friday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. 

Sun Devils erase 18-point fourth quarter lead to defeat Utah in final seconds

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Trailing the entire game, the No. 17 Arizona State women’s basketball team outscored Utah 22-3 in the fourth quarter, and Courtney Ekmark knocked down the first two of three free throws with 0.9 seconds remaining, en route to a 60-58 win on Sunday.

ASU comes from behind to win in the last second over Utah

The win was the fifth consecutive for ASU (18-6, 9-4 Pac-12), which surely scored points with the selection committee with the win, in regards to hosting first-and-second round NCAA Tournament games next month.

The heartbreaking loss for Utah (18-7, 7-7 Pac-12) was its sixth in a row. Utah began the season 12-0 before a 65-63 loss to the Sun Devils in Salt Lake City on Jan. 4. Following the two-point loss, the Utes went on to win six more, including one over Stanford, to improve to 18-1 and No. 14 in the nation, before their current slide. Senior forward Daneesha Provo, second on the team with 13.5 points per game, tore her ACL in the first matchup with ASU.

Kiana Moore scored eight of her 10 points for Utah, as it led ASU 17-11 after the first quarter. The Utes swelled the lead to 17 in the second, as Megan Huff scored 10 of her 15, and they posted a 34-20 advantage into halftime. Despite only dressing eight players and ASU’s bench outscoring theirs, the Utes held on to a double-digit lead, but the tide turned with eight minutes left, as the furious rally began. It became a one-possession game with a minute and a half to play. Utah held the ball, trying to wind down the clock, but two scoreless possessions in the waning minute gave the ball back to ASU. Robbi Ryan missed a tying three pointer with 26 seconds remaining. Erika Bean’s inbounds pass to Huff went for a backcourt violation, and the Sun Devils had another opportunity. Ekmark missed, but Ryan connected on her second chance to tie the game. Ekmark was fouled on another three-point attempt with 0.9 to play, and she converted the first two of three from the line for the miraculous win.

Ekmark led the Sun Devils with 15 points, while Kianna Ibis scored 10 with nine rebounds, Charnea Johnson-Chapman tallied seven points and nine rebounds, and Ryan scored 11. Huff added nine rebounds and seven assists for Utah.

The Sun Devils will be at California at 8 p.m. on Friday and Stanford at 2 p.m. on Feb. 24, before returning home to conclude the regular season with Oregon State and Oregon the following weekend. Utah will host Washington on Friday.

Devils Dominate Opening Weekend Over the Irish Scoring 46 Runs

Mike Stockman

The Devils scored 46 runs in the opening weekend series.

Phoenix, Ariz. - The Arizona State University Sun Devils hosted the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the 2019 opening season weekend at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb 15, 2019.

The Devils, struggling the last couple of years, hoped to start the season off with a series win over the Irish, who is entering their 123rd season.

The first game of the season on Friday night was a glimpse of what hopes to be a positive and thrilling season.

In the second inning, the Devils scored the first run of the season off the bat of Sam Ferri, who hit a hard shot over center fielder's head. Alika Williams sprinted from first base to make it home safely. Later in the inning, with the bases loaded, Spencer Torkelson cleared the bases with a solid hit to right field. The score after two innings, Devils 4-0.

In the bottom of the third inning, Lyle Lin hit an RBI to right field, scoring Hunter Bishop, Which gave the Devils a comfortable 5-0 lead.

The Fighting Irish got on the board in the top of the seventh with a home run over the right field by Niko Kavadas, followed by a Jared Miller double over the first base man's head but was left on base.

After striking out 10 batters in five innings, Alec Marsh was relieved.  Marsh's 10 strike outs are the most for a Devils pitcher since March 12, 2016 by Seth Martinez.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Devils get a free run when bases are loaded and Lyle Lin takes a full count walk. The Devils would finish the inning adding four more runs and bumping the score to 10-1 over the Irish.

The Devils finished the game with 8 hits to the Irish five, winning the first game of the 2019 season by a score of 10-1.

In game two, the Devils pounded the Irish 20-7. Carter Aldrete had two home runs, racking up six RBI.

Game three started quick for both teams. The Irish got two hits, but left runners on base, while the Devils continued their scoring from last night, scoring early on a two run home run by Bishop which also scored Torkelson. The Devils led 2-0 going into the second inning.

The Irish scored on an RBI single by Zack Prajzner, scoring Jared Miller. But the Devils come back and extend the lead on the bottom of the second on a two RBI single by Drew Swift. The inning ended after Swift crosses the plate prior to Torkelson getting thrown out trying to take second base. The Devils led 5-1.

As the game progressed, the Devils had 10 runs with 9 hits by the bottom of the fifth inning with no signs of slowing down against the stunned Irish with 3 runs on 4 hits and 3 errors.

By the end of the game, the Devils had 15 hits, winning 16-5 over the Irish who had nine hits and three errors.

After this series, the Fighting Irish travel to San Antonio, TX for the Alamo Irish Classic where they take on Eastern Michigan and Incarnate Word in two game series starting Feb 21 at 2 p.m.

The Devils host San Diego Toreros on Wednesday, Feb 20 at 6:30 p.m. MST, followed by a three game series against the UC Davis Aggies beginning Friday evening, Feb 22 at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Inaugural Season Starts with a Win for the Hotshots

By Mike Stockman

TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona Hotshots, coached by Rick Neuheisel, one of eight teams in the newly formed Alliance of American Football (AAF), defeated the Salt Lake Stallions, coached by former Arizona State football coach Dennis Erickson, at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, AZ on Sunday evening, February 10, 2019 by a score of 38-22.

Familiar names took the field Sunday on a beautiful winter day with the temperatures hovering around 60 degrees at the start of the game. The Hotshots have 14 players who were once picked in the NFL Draft. There are 18 players from the Pac-12 Conference including Rashad Ross (WR), Robert Nelson Jr (DB), Carl Bradford (LB), Will Sutton III (DT), and Marcus Hardison (DT) from Arizona State. 

Some rules that are different include no kickoffs, two-point conversions only after touchdown, onside kick conversions, defense restrictions for rushing, and the overtime. All of these rule changes are to make the game faster and safer for the players.

After a slow start by both teams and just over a minute left in the first quarter, the Hotshots drove 95 yards in 7 plays to score the first touchdown of the season from John Wolford (Wake Forest) to Gerald Christian (Louisville) for a 5 yard pass over the middle. The Hotshots led 8-0 after Larry Rose III (New Mexico State) pounds it up the middle for the two point conversion.

The Stallions answered in the second quarter on a two yard run up the middle by Matt Asiata (Utah) followed by an off tackle run by Josh Woodrum (Liberty) which tied the score 8-8 with 10:28 left on the clock for the first half.


After recovering a punt return fumble, the Hotshots score on a 36 yard touchdown pass from Wolford to Ross, Jhurell Pressley (New Mexico) rushes for the the two point conversion and take the lead 16-8.

Former NFL veteran Nick Folk (Arizona) kicked a 53 yard field goal putting the Hotshots up 19-8.  

The Stallions scored just before the end of the half on a 2 yard pass from Woodrum to Jordan Leslie (BYU) closing out the half 19-16 after succeeds from a rush by Branden Oliver (Buffalo) converting the two point conversion.

After the half, the Hotshots moved the ball into field goal range but missed a 46 yard field goal which hit the left upright.

With 2:52 left in third quarter, the Hotshots scored on a four yard touchdown pass from Wolford to Ross for his second touchdown of the night. The Hotshots made the two point conversion when Wolford passed to Thomas Duarte (UCLA) which extended the lead to 27-16.

On the next play, the linebacker Steven Johnson (Kansas) grabbed an interception giving the Hotshots the ball at Stallions' 30 yard line. The first play from the Stallions 30 was a touchdown pass from Wolford to Pressley and the two point conversion from Wolford to Richard Mullaney (Oregon State) set the score to 35-16.

The Stallions scored on a touchdown pass from Matt Linehan (Idaho) to Nick kTruesdell (Grand Rapids JC) in the back of the end zone but missed the two point conversion, cutting into Hotshots' lead 35-22 with 11:37 left in the fourth quarter.

The final score of the game came off a 32 yard field goal by Hotshots' Folk, finishing out the game 38-22.

The Stallions travel to Birmingham to play the Iron on Feb 16, 2019 at 2:00 pm Eastern Time.

The Hotshots are away next week, traveling to take on the Memphis Express at 8:00 pm Eastern Time.

Gym Devils post big Pac-12 win over Stanford

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Cairo Leonard-Baker achieved Sunday’s highest-score on the final performance of the meet, posting a 9.95 on floor to give the No. 19 Arizona State gymnastics team a 196.375 to 195.000 win over No. 24 Stanford.

ASU (5-4) bested the Cardinal on every event, but was highest on floor (49.425). Bars, of which the Gym Devils are 15^th in the nation, was the team’s third-strongest apparatus in the win, with a 49.150.

“It’s a good day,” ASU coach Jay Santos said. “I saw a lot of fight in the last two events. They weren’t holding back, and they were really going at it.”

Morgan Wilson scored a 9.8 on vault to lead ASU, while Jasmine Gutierrez and Justine Callis each recorded  9.85s on the balance beam.

“It was so awesome to come out here and do a clean routine for the first time,” said the freshman Gutierrez. “We need to keep building off what we already have.”

Despite the high performance on the beam, Callis notched a personal-best on the uneven bars at 9.8.

“I landed and knew it happened,” Callis said of her career high. “There was so much energy out there tonight.”

Leonard-Baker led all athletes with a 9.925 on bars and totaled a 39.325 all-around score. Annie Kuhm posted a 39.175 all-around for ASU, as well, while Kyla Bryant had 38.825 for the Cardinal. Bryant recorded a 9.9 on bars and 9.925 on floor, while Aleeza Yu scored a meet-high 9.825 on vault, and Wesley Stephenson led her team on beam with a 9.825. Stanford dropped to 2-4, and after falling to California, UCLA, and Washington, has now lost four consecutively.

Prior to returning home at 7 p.m. on Feb. 22 to face No. 11 Oregon State, ASU will participate in the Perfect 10 Challenge at 3:45 p.m. on Friday at the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy in Oklahoma City. In addition to No. 15 Washington and George Washington, the No. 1-ranked Oklahoma Sooners will be in the building.

“It’s the same way we prepare for everything,” Santos said. “We’re not basketball or football, where you are defending somebody; we just need to go out and perform. We had UCLA and Utah, and we’re not expecting anything different.”

The next meet for Stanford will be on Friday against No. 5 LSU and No. 13 Missouri at St. Charles, Mo. Tabitha Yim is in her first season as Cardinal coach, after the former U.S. champion and world medalist previously guided the University of Arizona.

Roadrunners break away from GCU down the stretch

By Scott Mammoser

PHOENIX – After a back-and-forth first half, Cal State Bakersfield connected on some long-range shots at key moments to break away from the Grand Canyon University women’s basketball team, 59-46, on Saturday.

Ashley Austin scored nine of her 17 points in the opening period to lead CSUB (9-12, 5-3 WAC), as both the first and second quarters were decided by one point. Jasmin Dixon drained a three from the corner to open a six-point lead for CSUB midway through the third. GCU (5-13, 3-5 WAC) began catching up, before another three from Malayasia McHenry from the exact same spot, and a low-post tip in from Vanessa Austin at the buzzer amounted to a 42-34 CSUB edge. Jazmine Johnson connected on the third strike from the right corner for three points with three minutes to play.

“I don’t think it was anything they were doing,” said GCU senior forward AJ Cephas, who scored 12 points with five rebounds. “I think it was on us, and we got fatigued. It was just hard to push through as much as we should have.”

Da’jah Daniel scored nine of her GCU-high 14 points in the first quarter. The 6-foot-4 junior forward who averages six points per game, was named the WAC Player of the Week after her 24 point-22 rebound performance in GCU’s previous game, a 75-71 win over California Baptist, and that is just one of nine such games in Division I this season. She also grabbed a game-high nine rebounds on Saturday.

“We’re going to watch film and work on this, come back even stronger next time,” Cephas added. “We for sure had our lows, but we know how good we can be, when we play together. When we get a healthy group back, we’ll be good. We’re going to keep working on us, we need to be aggressive on defense. As long as we stay on that aggressive mentality, we’ll be good.”

McHenry added 13 points for the Roadrunners and Austin 10. While CSUB will be at New Mexico State on Thursday, the Lopes will next be at UTRGV at 6 p.m. on Feb. 7, and they return home to face Kansas City at 6 p.m. on Feb. 14. GCU and CSUB will play again in California on March 2.