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Pac-12 at the Plate: Week 3 Action

Photo Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics

Pac-12 baseball is in full swing. Here on Sports360AZ.com, Pac-12 at the Plate is the place to keep up with how ASU and Arizona baseball are stacking up in the conference. This week No. 13 Arizona hosts USC and ASU takes on UCLA here in Phoenix. Here’s what you need to know about last weekend’s opening conference series and what to watch for this weekend:

Week 2 Recap

Arizona: Last weekend, Arizona (17-7, 2-4 Pac-12) put up a fight in games one and two of the series at Oregon State, but the Beavers took full control on Sunday with an 11-7 win to sweep the series.

Senior left-hander JC Cloney had a good outing against OSU on Friday. Cloney pitched 7.1 innings allowing only five hits, walking two and striking out five.

Friday and Saturday’s games were both walk-off wins for OSU. The weekend was a check for the Cats who were on an early season high after posting their best start in a decade.

ASU: The Sun Devils (11-12, 1-5 Pac-12) traveled to L.A. to take on the Trojans in week two. After dropping Friday’s game, ASU shut out USC 7-0 on Saturday, but lost the series Sunday as the Trojans got the 7-4 win.

Freshman lefty Chaz Montoya got his first career win in his first career start Saturday. Montoya went 5.2 innings allowing only two hits with two walks and six strikeouts.

Midweeks

Tuesday, ASU honored Sun Devil alum Barry Bonds pre-game against UNLV. The Sun Devils came back from an early deficit against the Rebels to come out on top 5-4 in front of the legendary home run king.

Left-handed pitcher Connor Higgins had quite a night in his 4.2 innings on the bump. Higgins allowed no hits, with one walk and a career-high six strikeouts to get his first career win.

Wednesday at Hi Corbett, Arizona took on GCU. Right-hander Landon Faulkner impressed in his midweek outing. The junior went 4.1 innings, allowing no hits, no runs with no walks and four strikeouts. The Lopes and Wildcats will meet back up in Phoenix on Tuesday, Apr. 11.

Arizona Week 3 Preview

Arizona is 13-0 at home so far this season. The Wildcats will look to keep that perfect record when USC comes to town this weekend.

For USC, look out for senior outfielder Corey Dempster. Dempster has 11-game hit streak that the Wildcats will look to end. On the bump, freshman Chris Clarke will start for the Trojans Friday. Clarke has a 3.41 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 29 innings pitched. He’ll be tested against the Wildcats bats that are looking to wake up after a dormant weekend at OSU.

Senior infielder Louis Boyd is back in the lineup for Arizona. Boyd was out for the first four weeks of play with an injury. He returned Tuesday against GCU. Boyd made some crucial plays on defense and went 1 for 3 at the plate. He’ll be another tough hitter for USC, in addition to Jared Oliva and JJ Matijevic.

 ASU Week 3 Preview

ASU is hoping to snap UCLA’s five-game win streak and get some wins in conference play when the Bruins come to Tempe this weekend. The Sun Devils are sitting towards the bottom of the Pac with a 1-5 conference record.

The projected rotation for the weekend for ASU is lefty Eli Lingos Friday, Chaz Montoya Saturday and Sunday’s starter TBD. For UCLA, Bruins ace Griffin Canning will be on the mound Friday, Moises Ceja Saturday and Jon Olsen Sunday.

Canning is the threat for ASU this weekend. The junior right-hander has a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings pitched this season with 49 strikeouts. In the box for the Bruins, Kyle Cuellar and Sean Bouchard are the big hitters. Cuellar is batting at .429 with 15 RBIs, while Bouchard is batting at. 341 with seven doubles, five homeruns and 21 RBIs.

For ASU, continue to keep an eye on freshmen Lyle Lin and Hunter Bishop, both are currently batting above .300. Additionally, at the plate for ASU, Tyler Williams will be a force if he is placed in the lineup. Williams had a two-run bomb Tuesday night against UNLV that put the Sun Devils ahead.

Around the Pac

Oregon State at Stanford: Stanford won it’s series against Utah last weekend 2-1. Currently ranked at No. 11 in the NCAA, the Cardinal will try to stop the No. 1 Beavers impressive start. Oregon State remains at the top of the NCAA ERA rankings as well, with a 1.55.

Oregon at Utah: Last weekend, Oregon lost its series against Washington 1-2. Both of these teams are looking to bounce back in conference play after Utah dropped the weekend’s series against Stanford.

Washington State at Cal: Cal has been struggling this season. The Golden Bears are 9-13 overall and 1-5 in conference play. Washington State won their non-conference series, 3-1 against Cal State Northridge last weekend. The Cougars are 1-2 in the Pac after an opening series loss to USC. They’ll look to capitalize on a struggling Cal this weekend.

 

Related posts:

Pac-12 baseball returns: ASU hosts No. 2 Oregon State, No. 9 Arizona at UCLA

Pac-12 at the Plate: Top 20 Matchup, ASU at Oregon

Pac-12 at the Plate: Conference Play Begins

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