Devils Lose Series Against Gaels

Mike Stockman
Phoenix Area Sports

PHOENIX, ARIZONA (February 25, 2018) In the second week of the 2018 baseball season, the Arizona State University Sun Devils lose two of three games to Saint Mary's Gaels at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, falling 6-1 on Friday February 23, 6-5 on Saturday February 24, and on Sunday get their only win, defeating the Gaels 2-1.  

Game one on Friday evening ended with a victory for the visiting Gaels by a score of 6 - 1. Devils' Gage Canning, who started the weekend needing four more triples to reach 20 for his career, went 4 for 4 at the plate for the Devils.

Devils lose series to Gaels of Saint Mary's

In game two, the Gaels jumped to an early lead scoring three runs in the first inning on four hits. In the bottom of the second inning, Devils' DH Spencer Torkelson hit his forth home run of the season, putting the Devils on the board. Hunter Bishop followed up with a single, scoring on a single by Trevor Hauver who scored on a single by Alika Williams. Canning hit an RBI triple. He scored on the next pitch when a perfect bunt allowed Canning to score.  The Devils led 5-3 until the eighth inning. In the top of the eighth, Gaels' Dylan Robertson, jr slams a two run home run over left field fence, tying the game 5-5. In the top of the ninth, with runners in scoring position, a wild pitch allowed the winning run to score, giving the Gaels the second win of the series - a 6-5 victory.

On Sunday, the final game of the series, Lyle Lin hit a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning putting the Devils on the board first. In the top of the sixth inning, the Gaels senior Jackson Thorelson scored from second base on a single to right field by Austin Chauvin. In the bottom of the sixth, Canning singled to right center, scoring Gage Workman with the go ahead run 2-1. The Devils win the final game 2-1 with seven hits to Gaels' five.

Boyd Vander Kooi pitches 7.2 innings, gets standing ovation

This is Devils freshman pitcher Boyd Vander Kooi's second win of the season. As he walked off the field after throwing 7. innings, allowing four hits, 1 run, with an era 0.61 the fans gave him a huge standing ovation.

In the post game conference, Coach Tracy Smith stated 'we had a lot of growth yesterday but we didn't win. Today, we won.', and finished with this comment on pitcher Vander Kooi's performance 'He's loose, he's got the persona that there's not a lot going on up there (pointing to his head), but trust me, there is.'. 

The Gaels host Xavier for a three game series on March 2-4 in Moraga, Calif. Game times are 2 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday  and Sunday.

The Devils ( travel to Long Beach State for the first road trip of the season. The Devils will play two games, the first on Tuesday, Feb 27 at 6:00 p.m. and the second game on Wednesday, Feb 28 at 6:00 p.m.