May 15, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State junior right-hander Jason Urquidez struck out a season-high 12 batters to lead the No. 14 Sun Devils to a 3-1 victory over visiting Oregon State Saturday evening at Packard Stadium.
Urquidez (Simi Valley, Calif.) scattered nine singles in 8.1 innings and gave up only one run to pick up his Pac-10 leading 10th victory of the year. Freshman closer Zechry Zinicola sealed the win with his team-leading sixth save of the year and second of the series.
ASU won its sixth straight overall and 11th in the last 13 games to improve to 34-13 overall. The victory also moved the Sun Devils to 9-8 in Pac-10 play, remaining in a third-place tie with UCLA. After losing the first three Pac-10 series, ASU has won its last three, including a pair of series wins at UCLA and Washington State. Oregon State drops to 27-17 overall and 7-10 in league play.
Oregon State freshman Dallas Buck nearly matched Urquidez's performance, limiting the Sun Devils to six hits and three runs in 7.1 innings. Buck suffered the tough-luck loss, falling to 3-4 on the season. He struck out three and walked three.
The Sun Devils broke the scoreless tie in the third inning on a run-scoring groundout by junior All-American Jeff Larish. Larish extended the lead to 2-0 with a two-out single up the middle in the fifth.
Oregon State had scoring opportunities in the first, third and fifth innings, but left runners on first and second to end the inning each time. The Beavers threatened again in the seventh putting runners on first and third with only one out, but Urquidez dove and stopped a soft dribbler from catcher Paul Richie, starting an inning-ending 1-6-3 double play.
ASU added an important insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning when catcher Tuffy Gosewisch walked with the bases loaded. OSU senior reliever Jared Sanders put out the fire, striking out Joel Bocchi and Nick Walsh to end the rally.
After walking the leadoff batter in the ninth and giving up a soft single to second baseman Chris Kunda, ASU head coach Pat Murphy called upon freshman closer Zechry Zinicola. Sophomore Jacoby Ellsbury greeted Zinicola with a line-drive double down the left field line to score a run, cutting the lead to 3-1. Zinicola then struck out Richie and got Chris Campos to softly line out to first baseman Chris Cook to end the game.
Larish (Tempe) finished 1-for-4 with a pair of RBI to extend his season-high hitting streak to 13 games. Junior third baseman Josh Asanovich (Gold Canyon) went 1-for-3 with a double to extend his hitting streak to seven games.
Ellsbury, who is one of 19 players to be invited to the USA Baseball National Team Trials in June, went 4-for-5. Kunda added a pair of singles while finishing 2-for-4.
Oregon State out-hit the Sun Devils 10-6, while the Beavers left 11 men on base and the Sun Devils nine.
The Devils will go for their first Pac-10 series sweep of the year tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Packard Stadium. Sophomore left-hander Brett Bordes (2-0, 6.75 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Devils. Oregon State has not announced a starting pitcher.
Game Notes: Urquidez's 12 strikeouts are the most by a Sun Devil since Mike Esposito struck out 17 in 2002... Jeff Larish extended his hitting streak to 13 games with run-scoring single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth... ASU is now 27-10 all-time against Oregon State (dating back to 1963) and has won nine of the last 10 meetings... Zinicola's sixth save gives him the team lead, passing freshman classmate Pat Bresnehan who has five... the six saves rank tied for second in the ASU freshman record books with Ryan Bradley (1995)... Travis Buck went 1-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to a career-high 10 games. Arizona State 3, Oregon State 1 (May 15, 2004 at Tempe, Ariz.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon State........ 000 000 001 - 1 10 0 (27-17, 7-10 Pac-10) Arizona State....... 001 010 01X - 3 6 1 (34-13, 9-8 Pac-10) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Oregon State - Buck; Asleton(8); Sanders(8). Arizona State - Urquidez; Zinicola(9). Win-Urquidez(10-2) Save-Zinicola(6) Loss-Buck(3-4) T-2:59 A-2860 --Sun Devil Baseball--