March 9, 2001
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Freshman first baseman Jeremy West went 4-for-5 with two RBI and fell just a double short of hitting for the cycle as the No. 8 Sun Devil baseball team beat the University of South Florida Bulls 16-5 in a non-conference college baseball game Friday night at Packard Stadium.
The win improved ASU's season record to 15-4-1 and have now won two straight. The USF dropped to 8-8 after coming into the game with wins in four of its last five games. West, a freshman from Las Vegas, continued his torrid hitting, adding four hits to a streak in which he was 6-for-12 in his last three games entering tonight's game. Now 24-for-55 (.436) on the season, West has 10 hits in his last four games, including three home runs. West leads the Sun Devils with five round-trippers on the year.
Senior left-hander Drew Friedberg (Middleton, Wisc.) pitched four solid innings out of the bullpen to pick up the win, improving to 2-0 on the year. The senior struck out six and walked only one in his outing. The senior lowered his season ERA to 1.02 with his stellar outing and came up clutch for the Devils for the second time this season in a middle relief situation. Friedberg picked up the win at Cal State Fullerton, allowing only one hit in three innings.
After South Florida took a 1-0 lead with a run in the second, ASU struck for two runs in the bottom half of the inning. On the first pitch of the inning, West connected on his fifth home run of the year to deep left-center field. After a Mike Lopez (Glendale) double and a single by freshman designated hitter Rod Allen (Phoenix), Jonah Martin gave ASU a 2-1 lead when he grounded into a double play to score Lopez.
The Bulls retook the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth. Catcher Jeremy Earle tabbed a one-out single, and after a walk and a bunt single from leadoff hitter Ben Drawdy to load the bases, third baseman Myron Leslie plated a run with a sharp single to left field. On the play shortstop Mike Macaluso was thrown out at home plate by left fielder Martin when catcher Casey Myers blocked the plate. With two outs and two strikes, ASU ace Jon Switzer gave up a three run home run to right fielder Daniel Boyd deep over the scoreboard in left-center field. Switzer suffered his third consecutive sub-par start, but left with a no-decision.
After relinquishing the lead in the top half of the inning, ASU took to the offensive in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-5 lead. West continued his torrid hitting with a single to right field to start the rally. After a catcher's interference call with Lopez at the plate, Martin singled to right field to score West. Freshman Steve Garrabrants (Phoenix) plated two runs with his fourth triple of the year to center field and scored on the play on a throwing error to give ASU the 6-5 advantage.
Threatening in the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs, Friedberg came in and struck out two and coaxed Leslie into an inning-ending groundout to preserve the lead. The Sun Devils tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth on Allen's sacrifice fly to center field to cushion their lead to 7-5.
With Friedberg in cruise control, the Sun Devils offense really kicked into high gear, scoring five runs in the seventh inning. Myers led the inning off with his eighth double of the year to tab his 16th multi-hit game of the year. The senior All-American scored on a triple by west to the right-center field gap. Pinch-hitter Nick Walsh (Concord, Calif.) recorded an infield single to score West and a single through the right side by right fielder Mel Stocker plated two more runs to cap the five-run inning. ASU scored four more to bring the game to its final score of 16-5.
USF committed a season-high six errors, resulting in nine unearned runs. South Florida starter John Gorham (2-2) was the victim of those unearned runs, but was saddled with the loss to fall to 2-2 on the season. ASU and USF will play the second game of the three-game series Saturday night at 7 p.m. Arizona State 16, South Florida 5 (Mar 09, 2001 at Tempe, Ariz.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- South Florida....... 010 400 000 - 5 9 6 (8-8) Arizona State....... 020 410 54X - 16 17 0 (15-4-1) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: South Florida - Gorham, Fuller(7), Strickland(7). Arizona State - Switzer,Klusman(4), Friedberg(5), Jackson(9). Win-Friedberg(2-0) Loss-Gorham(2-2) T-3:10 A-2267 HR USF - Boyd (3).HR ASU - West (5).
Copy By Jeff R. Evans
ASU Media Relations