June 3, 2005
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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona State senior first baseman Jeff Larish went 2-for-3 with a pair of home runs to lead the Sun Devils to a 9-6 victory over East Carolina Friday night in the second game of the NCAA Tempe Regional at Winkles Field at Packard Stadium.
With his fourth multi-home run game of the season and sixth of his career, Larish (Tempe, Ariz.) now has 19 home runs on the season and moved into second place in the ASU record books with his 47th career home run. He also scored four runs and had three RBI.
The Sun Devils won their fifth straight game to improve to 35-22 on the season and will face No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina (49-14) in the winner's bracket game at 7 p.m. tomorrow night. Arizona State will be the visiting team in that game. East Carolina drops to 35-25 on the season and 0-5 all-time against Arizona State. They will face UNLV in an elimination game at 2 p.m. tomorrow.
ASU senior starting pitcher Jason Urquidez (Simi Valley, Calif.) overcame a shaky first inning and gutted out six solid innings to pick up the win. The right-hander struck out eight and allowed only two runs (one earned) to improve to 9-4 on the season. Junior left-hander Brett Bordes (Mesa, Ariz.) and senior right-hander Ty Marotz (Crystal Lake, Ill.) closed out the victory giving up four runs in the final three innings.
ECU starter T.J. Hose was roughed up for six hits and five runs in just one and a third inning before being removed from the game. He was saddled with the loss to fall to 7-4 on the season. Lefty reliever Scott Andrews went the rest of the way out of the bullpen giving up four this and four runs in 6.2 innings.
In addition to Larish's big game at the plate, junior right fielder Travis Buck (Richland, Wash.) and freshman center fielder J.J. Sferra (Phoenix, Ariz.) each had two hits. Buck, a third-team All-America selection by Collegiate Baseball, recorded his team-leading 32nd multi-hit game of the year and now has recorded at least one hit in 20 of his last 21 games.
The Pirates out-hit the Sun Devils 12-10 and were led by three hits from leadoff hitter Brian Cavanaugh and two each from catcher Adam Witter, left fielder Drew Costanzo and right fielder Harrison Eldridge.
East Carolina jumped out to the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. Second baseman Dale Mollenhauer started the scoring with a solo home run to right field. Costanzo tabbed a two-out double down the left field line that was misplayed by Colin Curtis to allow the second run of the inning score.
The Devils tied things up with two runs in the bottom half of the first. Larish led off with a solo home run on the first offering from Hose. After consecutive singles by Buck and sophomore left fielder Colin Curtis (Issaquah, Wash.), freshman designated hitter Willy Fox (Scottsdale, Ariz.) plated the tying run with a bloop single to left field.
ASU broke the 2-2 deadlock with four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Sferra scored on a Buck single and error and Fox plated another run with a groundout. With two outs, Gosewisch drilled a double down the left field line to score a pair of runs and extend the lead to 6-2.
The Sun Devils added another run in the fourth when Larish scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Larish belted his second home run of the game, a two-run shot to right field, in the sixth to extend ASU's lead to 9-2.
ECU got a few runs back in the seventh off the Sun Devil bullpen. Cavanaugh and third baseman Mark Minicozzi each drove home runs with bouncers up the middle. The Pirates plated two more in the ninth, with one coming on a Witter home run to bring the game to the final score of 9-6.
Game Notes: The home run by Jeff Larish on the first pitch in the bottom of the first inning was ASU's first leadoff home run since Dustin Pedroia last season (3/13/04 vs. Tulane)... it was his 46th career home run, moving him into a tie for second place in the ASU record books with Mike Kelly (1989-91)... his home run in the sixth put him all alone in second place with 47, nine behind school home run king Bob Horner (56)... he recorded his fourth multi-home run game this season and sixth of his career... the two home runs give him 19 on the season, besting his previous season best of 18 during his sophomore season in 2003... Colin Curtis extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the first inning... ASU's four hit-by-pitches are a season high.
Arizona State 9, East Carolina 6 (Jun 03, 2005 at Tempe, Ariz.)
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East Carolina....... 200 000 202 - 6 12 1 (35-25)
Arizona State....... 240 102 00X - 9 10 2 (35-22)
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Pitchers: East Carolina - Hose; Andrews(2). Arizona State - Urquidez; Bordes, B.(7); Marotz(8).
Win-Urquidez(9-4) Loss-Hose(7-4) T-2:58 A-2280
HR ECU - Mollenhauer (4); Witter (7).
HR ASU - Larish 2 (19).