PHOENIX -- Starting left-hander Brett Lilek tossed his first career complete game to power the No. 9 Arizona State baseball team to a victory against No. 2 UCLA, 2-1 in the series finale on Sunday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Lilek (4-2) did not give up an earned run in the longest outing of his career and allowed just five base runners on three hits, a walk and a hit batter. He retired the first 14 batters of the game before his no-hit bid was broken up with a two-out single in the fifth inning. His seven strikeouts tied a season-high as he threw 68 of his 108 pitches for strikes.
The Sun Devils (30-17, 15-9) notched their nation-leading 53rd consecutive 30-win season to continue a streak that began in 1963. It is two more than the next closest Div. I team, Florida State, and Arizona State has had just one losing season in the program's 57 years.
Center fielder Johnny Sewald drove in both of ASU's runs with a single in the fifth and a double in the seventh, and finished the weekend with seven hits, two runs and three RBI.
ASU took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth behind a double from designated hitter RJ Ybarra and a two-out RBI single from Sewald. The Devils added to their advantage in the seventh inning behind a leadoff walk, a single by second baseman Andrew Snow and a RBI double by Sewald to right field.
The Bruins (36-12, 18-6) cut ASU's lead in half, 2-1, with an unearned run in the top of the eighth. Shortstop Kevin Kramer followed a hit batter with a two-out single that slipped under the glove of left fielder Andrew Shaps and allowed both runners to move into scoring position. Left fielder Ty Moore grounded out to ASU shortstop Colby Woodmansee in the next at-bat, but the lead runner scored from third before Woodmansee was able to throw Kramer out at second base.
UCLA starting left-hander Hunter Virant (0-1) was lifted in the fifth inning after he gave up a one-out double that resulted in the first run of the game. He was responsible for one run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings in the loss.
