LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The 10th-ranked Arizona State baseball team, playing its second extra-inning game in the past three contests, beat Long Beach State 3-2 in 12 innings on Friday night at Blair Field.
Andrew Aplin drove a two-out single to right field for the go-ahead run, scoring James McDonald from second, to give the Sun Devils (9-3) the victory.
Right-hander Jake Barrett (1-1) earned his first win of the season after pitching three perfect innings in relief. He took the mound in the 10th and allowed no runs and no hits while striking out two in the extra innings.
Right-hander Brady Rodgers struck out seven in nine innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits in a no-decision. He gave up his first earned run of the season in the second, ending his scoreless-innings streak at 23 2/3 frames.
Aplin led off the first inning with a single and Kasey Coffman took first on a walk before a double steal gave ASU runners on second and third with no outs. Joey DeMichele scored Aplin two batters later on an RBI groundout, his 20th RBI of the season, to give the Devils an early 1-0 lead.
The Dirtbags (4-9) tied it up in the top of the second when Ino Patron hit a double to begin the frame, advanced to third on a groundout and scored the first run of the game for Long Beach on an RBI sacrifice fly by Jeff McNeil.
Max Rossiter singled to start the second inning and then advanced to second on a passed bal before Allen drove him home with an RBI sacrifice fly to put ASU back on top 2-1.
Long Beach once again knotted the score in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single by Michael Hoime. He scored McNeil, who had singled to start the inning.
The Devils were unable to capitalize on hits in the eighth, ninth and 10th innings. Trever Allen doubled to start the eighth, but the next three batters couldn’t get on base and Allen was left stranded on third. Abe Ruiz and Rossiter hit back-to-back singles in the ninth with two outs, but a flyout by James McDonald ended the inning.
Allen once again led off with a base hit in the 10th, but he was forced out at second on a sacrifice bunt. A popup in foul territory gave the Devils their second out, but a single by pinch-hitter Rouric Bridgewater put runners on first and third before Deven Marrero grounded out to end the inning.
Long Beach right-hander Shawn Stuart went nine innings and took a no-decision, giving up two runs, including one earned, on six hits to go with five strikeouts.
Left-hander Eddie Magallon (0-2) took his second loss of the season after conceding one run on two hits in two innings of relief.
The second game of the three-game series between the two teams is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.
