Feb. 7, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.TheSunDevils.com) -- Arizona State left fielder Colin Curtis hit a walk-off single to score freshman J.J. Sferra with the game-winning run to cap a three-run ninth inning as the No. 12 Sun Devils pulled off a wild 11-10 victory over New Mexico State Monday evening at Packard Stadium in the final game of the Bob Schaefer Memorial Tournament.
The Sun Devils improved to 4-3 with the victory and ended the tournament with a 3-1 record. ASU also improved to 3-0 this season following a loss and 31-2 all-time against the Aggies. NMSU fell to 1-4 with the loss after defeating Gonzaga 5-1 on Sunday.
The ninth-inning rally was a fitting end to a game that saw ASU lead 5-3 after seven innings and featured four lead changes over the final two innings. The Aggies scored four runs in the top of the eighth to grab a 7-5 lead, but the Sun Devils answered with three runs in the bottom of the eighth to regain the lead at 8-7. Senior third baseman Joey Hooft (Reno, Nev.) appeared to have the game-winning hit with a two-run double, staking the Devils to an 8-7 lead. Not to be outdone, New Mexico State left fielder Adam Harvey hit a three-run home run with two outs in the top of the ninth inning off ASU closer Zechry Zinicola (San Bernadino, Calif.) to give NMSU a 10-8 lead.
Senior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch (Scottsdale, Ariz.) fueled the ninth-inning heroics with a leadoff double off the right field wall. After a single by redshirt freshman Rocky Laguna (Yuma, Ariz.), Gosewisch pulled the Devils to within one run when he scored on a wild pitch. Down to their last out after consecutive strikeouts by Joe Persichina (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) and Seth Dhaenens (Chandler, Ariz.), Sferra responded after being down in the count 1-2 with a clutch single up the middle to score Laguna with tying run. Sferra stole second base and scored the winner when Curtis (Issaquah, Wash.) drilled a full-count slider from NMSU closer Brian Gausman into left field.
Zinicola earned the victory to improve to 2-0 on the season despite giving up a career-high seven runs (four earned) in three innings. Senior starter Ty Marotz (Crystal Lake, Ill.) earned the tough-luck no-decision after scattering six hits and three runs in 5.2 innings. He struck out three and did not walk a batter.
Gausman took the loss giving up all three runs in the ninth inning to fall to 0-1 on the year. Freshman starter Tyler Sturdevant was roughed up for eight hits and five runs in 2.1 innings.
Curtis led five players with multi-hit games going 2-for-4 with two RBI to extend his hitting streak to eight games. He notched his third multi-RBI game of the year and . Gosewisch drilled three doubles while going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and a pair of RBI. Hooft snapped out of an 0-for-11 slump going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles and Sferra extended his hitting streak to four games going 2-for-5 with three runs, a triple, stolen base and one RBI. Laguna went 3-for-5 in his first collegiate start and tied the single-game school record with four stolen bases.
Harvey led the Aggie offense going 2-for-4 with a pair of home runs and four RBI. The sophomore transfer from Grayson County CC has three home runs over the last two games.
NMSU scored a run in the first after leadoff hitter Vince Rodden singled to left field, stole second base and scored on a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Mark Aranda. The Devils came right back with a two-run bottom half of the inning with Gosewisch's two-run double accounting for both runs.
After a game-tying home run by Adam Harvey to lead off the second inning, ASU again answered with a two-run second inning. Freshman shortstop Andrew Romine (Lake Forest, Calif.) started the rally with a sacrifice fly and after a Sferra triple, Curtis singled to extend the lead to 4-2.
ASU scored another run in the third before NMSU started on the comeback trail. The Aggies plated a run in the fourth and then rallied for four unearned runs in the eighth inning to take a two-run lead. After a crucial error by first baseman Jeff Larish (Tempe, Ariz.) that scored the tying run, right fielder Patrick Fields drove in a pair of go-ahead runs with a two-out single through the right side of the infield.
Arizona State (4-3) returns to action next weekend with three games in the third annual Coca-Cola Spring Training Classic at the Surprise Recreation Campus in Surprise, Ariz. The Sun Devils open tournament play at 7 p.m. against the University of South Alabama (0-0).
Game Notes: Freshman shortstop Andrew Romine accounted for all three outs in the top of the third inning and the first out in the fourth with assists... Romine finished the game with a team season high six assists... Romine also had a five-game hitting streak come to an end... the two runs in the first inning marked the first time ASU has scored in the opening frame this season... Tuffy Gosewisch extended his hitting streak to five games and has four multi-hit games during that span... he is hitting .355 (11-for-31) during the streak with five doubles and nine RBI... J.J. Sferra has a current four-game hitting streak (.308, 8-for-26) and has a pair of doubles and a triple over the last three games... Colin Curtis has hits in all seven games this season and has an eight-game hitting streak dating back to the end of last season... he leads the team with 10 RBI and has at least one RBI in six of ASU's seven games... he is one game off his career-high of a nine-game streak set during his freshman season... Ty Marotz made his fourth career start and 19th career pitching appearance and has yet to record a decision... with a season-high six stolen bases, ASU is now 17-for-19 on the season and has been successful in 13 straight steals... Laguna recorded a three-hit game in his first career start and tied the school record with four stolen bases... the last Sun Devil to record four steals in a game was Mel Stocker (currently in the Kansas City Royals minor league system) against Southern Utah (2/1/01)... Laguna leads the team in hitting at .444 (4-for-9) and has four RBI in his nine at-bats... Sferra's triple was ASU's fourth of the year... the Devils had only seven triples in 59 games during the 2004 season... ASU has now won the last four Monday games dating back to the start of last season... Monday's game featured 25-cent hot dog night at Packard Stadium with the announced attendance of 2,547 eating over 1,200 hot dogs.
Arizona State 11, New Mexico State 10 (Feb 07, 2005 at Tempe, Ariz.) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- New Mexico State.... 110 100 043 - 10 9 1 (1-4) Arizona State....... 221 000 033 - 11 15 2 (4-3) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Pitchers: New Mexico State - Sturdevant; Robinson(3); Hampel(6); Cameron(8); Gausman(9). Arizona State - Marotz; Barnette(6); Zinicola(7). Win-Zinicola(2-0) Loss-Gausman(0-1) T-3:30 A-2547 HR NMSU - Harvey 2 (3).
--Sun Devil Baseball--