Tucson, Ariz. – Arizona State scored five runs in the first inning and made them hold up in a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field in the opener of a three-game set between the two rivals.
Despite the loss, the program set a new attendance record since moving to Hi Corbett in 2012, with an announced crowd of 6,324. The new mark breaks the previous record of 5,677, which came in 2012, also against Arizona State.
“This is why I came to coach here,” coach Jay Johnson said after the game.
The large crowd watched as the Sun Devils found a way to get to Cats ace Nathan Bannister in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Griffin Canning tripled to open the game and David Greer followed with a walk to put two on, with no outs.
Colby Woodmansee then singled to plate Canning and make it 1-0. Bannister retired the next two batters, before giving up a single to Andrew Shaps to make it 2-0. Andrew Snow then reached on an error and the Sun Devils were able to score three more runs after the error to make it 5-0.
Only two of the runs were earned for Bannister, who entered the game with a 6-0 record and a 0.89 ERA at home this season. After the first, Bannister was his usual unhittable self at Hi Corbett. He retired 11 in a row from the second to the sixth inning and sat the Sun Devils down in order in the seventh and eighth as well, retiring the side in order.
After the first inning, Bannister retired 22 of the 25 batters he faced and allowed just one Sun Devil to reach past first base. The senior right-hander finished, going 8 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (two earned), six hits, two walks and striking out seven in 105 pitches.
He exited with one out in the ninth after Shaps led off the inning with a single and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. Left-hander Rio Gomez entered and retired the final two batters with ease, courtesy of a strikeout and a groundout.
The Cats (31-17, 14-11 Pac-12) were unable to get to ASU starter Seth Martinez until the seventh inning. Trailing 5-0, Bobby Dalbec tripled with two outs. He then scored on a passed ball by catcher Brian Serven for Arizona's first run of the game.
In the eighth, Cody Ramer tripled to lead off the inning and scored on the play when second baseman Jordan Aboites' throw to third went into the ASU (30-16, 12-10) dugout. That made the score 5-2. The Cats threatened from there, having a man reach after and then again in the ninth, but were unable to complete the comeback.
Ramer had two hits in the loss, increasing his hit streak to 17 games. Zach Gibbons had a single and has reached base in all 46 games he's played in this season.
The Cats and Sun Devils will continue their series Saturday night at 7 p.m. Eli Lingos is set to start for Arizona State. Arizona has yet to announce a starter. The game will be televised by Pac-12 Network with Daron Sutton and Scott Erickson on the call.
