Arizona State’s (6-2) bullpen and late-game hitting helped put them over the top in their 4-3 victory over Utah (1-6) in the first of their three-game series this weekend.
Coming into Friday night, Tyler Thornton made it through at least the fifth inning in all six of his starts for the Sun Devils. That stat changed against Utah when the sophomore threw 91 pitches in four innings, forcing an early exit.
“I loved (Thornton’s) competitiveness,” head coach Tracy Smith said. Smith cited that Thornton did not necessarily have a “good night” pitching because of his pitch count and loss of command around the plate
Besides giving up a two-run homer to Trey Clarkson in the top of the third, Thornton was still somewhat dominant.