Feb. 11, 2007
HOUSTON. Texas - Thanks to a sterling complete game from LHP Josh Satow, the Arizona State Sun Devils finished the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park 2-1 thanks to their 11-1 victory over the Houston Cougars. Satow (2-0) allowed only six hits while striking out eight to help the Devils improve to 5-1 on the year.
Eric Sogard got the Sun Devil offense started in the first inning, leading off the game with a home run to right field. After Brett Wallace walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch, Ike Davis brought him home with a double off the left field scoreboard. Davis would come around to score on an RBI single by Petey Paramore, who crossed the plate on a CJ Retherford sacrifice fly that made it 4-0 ASU.
Josh Satow was able to pitch his way out of a jam in the bottom of the first, preserving the four run lead. After giving up a leadoff double to Ryan Lormand, who then stole third, Satow fanned the next three hitters to get out of the inning unscathed.
Arizona State added another run in the second when Wallace knocked in Sogard with a single up the middle. They pushed it to 6-1 in the fourth after Andrew Romine, who beat out a ball to shortstop to lead things off and then stole second, was brought home on a balk. An RBI groundout by Sogard in the sixth made it 7-1 ASU.
Matt Spencer extended that lead to 9-1 in the seventh with a 392 foot two-run blast to right field, his fourth homer of the year and second of the tournament. The Devils would extend it to 11-1 on an Ike Davis double off Tal's Hill in centerfield that scored Romine and Sogard.
But the story of the game was Satow, who threw the first complete game for Arizona State since Erik Averill went the distance against Florida on June 22, 2005 in the College World Series. Satow allowed only a solo homer in the second and walked only one to pick up his second victory of the year. It was the first complete game of the junior's career.
Spencer finished the tournament 6-12 with two homers and five RBI, giving him 18 for the year. Sogard went 5-8 in the three games, scoring five times and driving in three. Ike Davis knocked in five runs over the weekend.
The Devils now return to Tempe to host Missouri on Thursday night at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark before heading west to Surprise for the Coca-Cola Classic. ASU will face Missouri, Oregon State and Gonzaga at Surprise Stadium next weekend. Thursday night's game begins at 7 p.m. Arizona time.