TEMPE, Ariz. - Relief pitcher Jordan Swaggerty pitched out of a ninth inning jam as 2nd-ranked Arizona State (7-0) completed a four-game sweep over the (1-6) with a 5-4 victory at Packard Stadium on Sunday evening.
Swaggerty came out of the bullpen in the ninth inning and gave up a leadoff single to pinch hitter Steve Freinberg. After pinch runner Brady Baxter advanced to second base on a hard ground ball to first base by junior shortstop Nick Natoli, he moved to third base when sophomore rightfielder Ben Winter grounded out to first base. Junior second baseman Chris Wychock, who led the Tigers with three hits, drew a two-out walk to put base runners at first and third base. However, Swaggerty preserved the victory when senior first baseman Steve Yarsinsky hit a fly ball to left field that Drew Maggi had to dive to catch.
The start of the game was delayed by four hours due to rain in Arizona.
"We had a great chance to take the lead in the ninth inning," said Towson Coach Mike Gottlieb. "They made two very good defensive plays to keep us from sending the game into the bottom of the ninth."
In the top of the first inning, the Tigers threatened to take an early lead. With one out, Winter singled and advanced to third base on a double by Wychock. However, Merrill Kelly struck out Yarsinsky and retired senior Kevin Collins on an infield ground ball.
After Tiger righthander Spencer Patton shut out the Sun Devils through the first two innings, Arizona State broke through in the bottom of the third inning. Senior third baseman Raoul Torrez led off the inning with a double down the leftfield line. When Swaggerty, who started the game at catcher, doubled down the right field line, the Sun Devils owned a 1-0 lead. After shortstop Deven Marrero struck out, Maggi bunted Swaggerty over to third base. Sophomore second baseman Zach MacPhee increased the Sun Devils' lead to 2-0 when he singled to left field. After Patton walked Kole Calhoun, he retired Riccio Torrez on a ground ball to shortstop.
In the fourth inning, the Tigers squandered a great chance to get on the scoreboard. Wychock led off the inning with a single and stole second base. However, Kelly retired the next three hitters in a row to keep his shutout intact.
In the bottom of the fourth, rightfielder Matt Newman led off the frame with a double. However, Patton retired the next hitters in a row to keep the Sun Devils' lead at 2-0.
The Tigers took their first lead of the weekend series when they scored three runs with two outs in the top of the fifth inning. Junior Steve Rice led off with a single to centerfield. Freshman catcher Andrew Parker hit into a force play for the first out before freshman Cody Reeves struck out. After Kelly walked Natoli, Winter doubled down the left field line, scoring two runs and tying the game at 2-2. When Wychock singled to center, Winter scored to give Towson a 3-2 advantage. Kelly pitched out of the inning when Yarsinsky lined out of leftfield.
Trailing by 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Sun Devils rallied to re-take the lead. Marrero led off the inning with a single. With one out, he stole second base. After reaching third base when MacPhee grounded out, he scored the tying run on a single by Calhoun. A single by Riccio Torrez and a walk to Newman loaded the bases.
A two-run single by Johnny Ruettinger gave the Sun Devils and 5-3 lead and knocked Patton out of the game. Senior lefthander Wes Shifflett pitched out of the inning when he retired Swaggerty on a fly ball.
In the bottom of the sixth, Shifflett walked the bases loaded with two outs before junior righthander Drew Permison struck out Newman to end the threat.
Permison had a very solid outing for the Tigers as he pitched 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out five.
Trailing by 5-3 in the top of the eighth, the Tigers cut into their deficit and threatened to tie the game. With one out, Yarsinsky doubled to left field. Collins followed with a triple down the rightfield line to cut the deficit to 5-4. After relief pitcher Jake Barrett walked Austin Harclerode, he pitched out of the jam by striking out Rice and retiring Parker on a ground ball to shortstop.
The Tigers, who outhit Arizona State by a 10-9 margin, were led by Wychock, who went three-for-four. Wychock batted .500 in the weekend series at Arizona State and had two doubles. Winter had two hits and drove in two runs.
In the midst of a 15-game road trip to open the season, the Tigers are scheduled to play at Maryland on Wednesday afternoon.
