ASU Baseball: Late errors sink Devils in loss to No. 5 Oregon State

For months, pitching has been Arizona State’s (17-2, 9-10 Pac-12) kryptonite. Its bats, anchored behind freshman first baseman Spencer Torkelson and junior center fielder Gage Canning, seemed to always keep the Devils hanging around.

On Friday against the 5th-ranked Oregon State Beavers (31-6, 11-5), that was reversed.

Sun Devil starter Alec Marsh — who gave up four runs on four hits in four innings in his last start against Utah — cruised to a quality start, allowing only five hits and two earned runs in seven innings of work. But it came with no avail.

The Sun Devil bats managed only two hits in the game’s first eight innings as the Beavers cruised to a 6-2 victory in Corvallis.

Marsh gave the Devils a chance late, something that has been a rarity as of late. He exited the game after the seventh, but it would take a trio of ASU’s relievers to simply get out of the eighth.

The Beavers scored four in the frame, but the Devils’ relievers — Jake Godfrey, Spencer Van Scoyoc and Grant Schneider — never got tacked with an earned run. Because, as you’ve probably guessed, ASU’s inconsistent defense faltered once again.

The unit had two errors in the eighth, but the second cost it. In a bases loaded jam with one out, Van Scoyoc fielded a comebacker from Oregon State left fielder Jack Anderson. He knocked the ball down and fired to home to try and keep the Beavers off the board in the eighth and get the second out.

Neither happened.

Van Scoyoc threw the ball low to catcher Lyle Lin and it rolled to the backstop as two Beaver runs scored. Oregon State first baseman Michael Gretler followed that play up with a 2-RBI double down the left field line.

ASU did try and mount a comeback in the ninth — a run that was started with Torkelson’s 21st home run of the season — but it could only plate two runs on four hits in the inning.