PHOENIX – Joe Casey battled off three consecutive 3-2 pitches from Arizona State reliever Brady Corrigan in the top of the eighth inning Saturday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The 10th pitch of the at bat turned out to be a big one for the redshirt sophomore.
Casey drilled a 3-2 offering from Corrigan past the diving Spencer Torkelson at first base, driving in two and sending Oregon State to a 6-4 victory over Arizona State.
George Mendazona and Andy Armstrong each reached on back-to-back one-out singles, and Tyler Malone loaded the bases when he was hit by a 3-2 pitch, setting the table for Casey.
Casey finished the day 2-for-4 and helped pace an Oregon State offense that tallied 12 hits off three ASU pitchers. Ryan Ober led the Beavers with three hits, while Mendazona, Adley Rutschman and Alex McGarry all chipped in with two.
Christian Chamberlain worked two scoreless innings to improve to 3-3 and Jake Mulholland finished off the game with a perfect ninth for his fifth save of the season.
The Beavers jumped out to a 3-0 lead with one in the second and two in the third. ASU scored one in the third before McGarry drove in the Beavers’ fourth run in the fifth inning.
Bryce Fehmel started for the Beavers and handcuffed Arizona State for the first five innings. The Sun Devils, however, tied the game with back-to-back-to-back home runs to start the sixth. Fehmel got the first out of the sixth on a groundout to Andy Armstrong at short and was relieved by Dylan Pearce.
Fehmel did not figure in the decision after allowing four runs on five hits with four strikeouts.
Corrigan took the loss to drop to 3-2 this season. He allowed four hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings. He came on in relief of Arizona State starter Boyd Vander Kooi, who went 6 2/3 innings, scattering eight hits and four runs.
Next Game
Oregon State and Arizona State conclude the three-game series Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. First pitch is slated for 12:30 p.m. PT.
How To Watch In Arizona
The series will not be televised but a live stream, produced by Arizona State, will be available for free. It can be accessed via OSUBeavers.com, the Pac-12 Now app and Facebook via Pac-12 Plus. Follow the Beavers on social media for the direct links each day.
Vote For Bryce
Right-handed pitcher Bryce Fehmel is one of 10 finalists for the prestigious Senior Class Award. Fan voting for the award is being held through June 10. To vote, visit seniorclassaward.com/vote/baseball_2019/.
That’s A Record
Adley Rutschman was intentionally walked with two down in the seventh. The walk was the 121st of his career, setting the Oregon State record. It was also his 40th of the season and the junior needs one more to move into a tie for 10th in a single season.
Going For The Series Win
Oregon State will be looking for its fifth series win over the Sun Devils in the last seven meetings between the teams. The Beavers last swept ASU in Phoenix in 2017.
One Closer
Jake Mulholland’s fifth save of the season gave him 27 for his career. That is good for No. 2 in the Oregon State record books, 10 behind Kevin Gunderson.
Rutschman With Two Hits
Adley Rutschman’s two hits pushed him to 196 for his career, five shy of tying Joe Gerber for 10th most in a career at Oregon State.
Ober’s Big Night
Ryan Ober capped a 3-for-4 with a ninth inning double. It marked his sixth multi-hit game of the year and third with three hits.
