ASU Baseball: Silenced by Oregon’s ace, Sun Devils drop series opener, 2-0

Failing to pin a run against one of the nation’s best starting pitchers, Arizona State (18-21, 5-11 Pac 12) was shutout by the Oregon Ducks (24-13, 7-9 Pac-12) behind the brilliance of David Peterson (9-2) who broke his own Oregon single game strikeout record with 20 punch outs.

Peterson, who won eight straight starts until running into Stanford in his last appearance, bounced back striking out the Sun Devils 20 times in 32 at-bats.

Following a weekend in which the Sun Devils saw 36 hits against Cal State Bakersfield, Taylor Lane, Hunter Bishop and Andrew Shaps earned all four of Arizona State’s base hits.

Just two times the Sun Devils had runners in scoring position, and they appeared in the eighth and ninth innings. Lane, who went 2-for-4, tripled with one out in the eighth and Shaps hit a leadoff double in the ninth, but both times with the tying run at the plate, the Sun Devils were unable to execute. In total, ASU matched Oregon leaving five runners on base.

On the flip side, Arizona State starter Eder Erives pasted together his best performance this season.

Erives (0-2), pitched a career-high eight innings giving up two runs on just four hits as he struck out four and walked three. On 101 pitches, Erives was the only ASU pitcher to step foot onto PK Park’s synthetic field.

The Sun Devils will have a plentiful supply of relievers heading into the rest of the weekend as they look to even the series in a Saturday 2 p.m. afternoon matinee.