May 16, 2004
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State freshman Zechry Zinicola went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run and the No. 14 Sun Devils used a pair of four-run innings to record a 8-4 victory over Oregon State to secure the series sweep Sunday afternoon in Pac-10 Baseball action at Packard Stadium.
Zinicola (San Bernadino, Calif.), who earned a pair of saves on the mound in the first two games of the series, provided the big blow to the Beavers with a two-run home run in the eighth inning to break open what was a 4-3 game.
ASU won its seventh straight and 12th in the last 14 games to improve to 35-13 overall. Securing the first conference sweep of the year, the Devils remain in a tie for third place in the Pac-10 with UCLA at 10-8. After starting the conference slate 3-6, ASU has won seven of its last nine league matchups. Oregon State lost its sixth straight to fall to 27-18 overall and 7-11 in the Pac-10.
Sophomore left-hander Brett Bordes picked up the win on the mound giving up four hits and one earned run in five innings. The Dobson High product struck out four and walked only two to improve to 3-0 on the season. Freshmen relievers Quentin Andes (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R) and Pat Cassa (1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R) each pitched solid in the middle innings to maintain ASU's lead. Sophomore lefty Erik Averill sealed the win by striking out three of the four batters he faced to earn his first career save.
Oregon State starting pitcher Andy Baldwin was roughed up for four runs on three hits in one-plus inning of work. Baldwin walked three in his short stint on the mound and was saddled with the loss to fall to 5-5 on the year. Freshman reliever Kevin Gunderson held the Devils in check, giving up one run and four hits in a career-high five innings.
The Beavers jumped out to the early 1-0 lead in the first inning. After an infield single and walk, OSU pushed across a run on a two-out fielding error by second baseman Nick Walsh.
The Devils answered with a four-run second inning to take the lead for good. A leadoff double from Zinicola, followed three consecutive walks led to the first run. Junior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch walked with the bases loaded to tie the game at 1-1. Freshman first baseman Joe Persichina followed with a run-scoring single and Walsh had a sacrifice fly to center field to extend the lead to 3-1. Junior All-American shortstop Dustin Pedroia capped the rally with a single to center field to score Colin Curtis.
With Gunderson keeping the Sun Devils off the scoreboard, OSU chipped away at the lead. Designated hitter Mike Lissman hit a solo home run off Bordes in the fifth inning to cut the lead to 4-2. The Beavers then loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh inning, but ended up with only one run. Cassa coaxed cleanup hitter Aaron Mathews to ground into a 6-4-3 double play allowing a run to score and then got Tony Calderon to fly out to right field to end the inning, preserving the one-run lead.
The Devils added to its lead with another four-run frame in the eighth. Travis Buck led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch to end Gunderson's fine performance. After a stolen base and a groundout by Jeff Larish to move Buck to third, Zinicola provided the game's biggest hit. The freshman designated hitter greeted OSU reliever Jared Sanders' first pitch with a two-run home run over the left field fence.
Pedroia (Woodland, Calif.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI for his 24th multi-hit game of the year.
OSU was led by multi-hit performances by Jacoby Ellsbury (2-for-3, 2 R), Lissman (2-for-5, R, RBI), Shea McFeely (2-for-4, HR, RBI) and Tyler Graham (2-for-4).
The Sun Devils return to action Tuesday with a non-conference game against the University of New Mexico at Isotopes Ballpark in Albuquerque. ASU also plays New Mexico State on Wednesday (6 p.m. MST) and then travels to Tucson for a three-game series against Arizona.
Game Notes: Jeff Larish had his season-high 13-game hitting streak snapped going 0-for-5... Zinicola had two saves on the mound and went 4-for-13 at the plate in the series against the Beavers... Dustin Pedroia recorded his 24th multi-hit game of the year and has 283 hits in his career... ASU leads the all-time series against Oregon State 28-10, including winning 10 of the last 11... Nick Walsh went 1-for-1 with a HBP, sacrifice fly and a walk in his last regular season home game at Packard Stadium... Walsh went 5-for-8 (.625) in the series against OSU and is hitting .442 (23-for-52) in Pac-10 games... the Beavers and Sun Devils had not hit a home run in the previous two games of the series... the sweep was ASU's first in Pac-10 play since sweeping Arizona to end the 2003 regular season at home. Arizona State 8, Oregon State 4 (May 16, 2004 at Tempe, Ariz.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Oregon State........ 100 010 110 - 4 10 2 (27-18, 7-11 Pac-10) Arizona State....... 040 000 40X - 8 10 1 (35-13, 10-8 Pac-10) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: Oregon State - Baldwin; Gunderson(2); Pendley(7); Sanders(7); Asleton(7); McCormick(7). Arizona State - Bordes; Andes(6); Cassa(7); Averill(8). Win-Bordes(3-0) Save-Averill(1) Loss-Baldwin(5-5) T-3:04 A-2354 HR OSU - Lissman (6); McFeely (5). HR ASU - Zinicola (3). --Sun Devil Baseball--