May 13, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. - After two straight come-from-behind wins, it looked like ASU's luck would run out on Sunday afternoon. UCLA jumped out to a 7-0 lead early, but the Sun Devils never quit, coming from behind once again to claim an 11-10 victory and a series sweep. The win puts Arizona State at 37-12, 14-4 in the Pac-10.
The Bruins touched ASU starter Brian Flores for six runs in three innings, eventually taking a 7-0 lead into the bottom of the fifth. The Devils began to chip away at the Bruins in the fifth, when Petey Paramore put the Devils on the board with a two-run homer, his fourth of the year. They would cut it to 7-3 on a Brett Wallace RBI single that scored Tim Smith. It was the 70th run batted in of the season for Wallace.
UCLA tacked on two more runs off Joey Parigi in the sixth to push the lead to 9-3, but the Sun Devils exploded for six runs in the bottom of the inning to even things up at nine. Tim Smith got things started with an RBI single that scored Ike Davis. Andrew Romine then brought two more home with his single to cut the lead to 9-6. After Joe Persichina flew out, Brett Wallace walked, bringing up Eric Sogard representing the tying run. Sogard hammered a ball over the right field fence for his ninth homer of the year, tying the game at nine.
The Bruins answered right back in the top half of the seventh, scoring an unearned run off CJ Retherford to take a 10-9 lead. Back-to-back doubles by Ike Davis and Matt Spencer tied the game, then Petey Paramore grounded out to the pitcher, moving Spencer to third. Tim Smith then lofted a fly ball to right field, allowing Spencer to tag up and score the go ahead run to make it 11-10.
Ike Davis retired the first two batters in the eighth before walking a man, so head coach Pat Murphy summoned in Jason Jarvis to try and get the final four outs. The first man he faced singled, moving the runner to third, but Jarvis got the next man to ground out to end the threat. He slammed the door in the ninth, retiring UCLA in order to sew up his second save of the series and seventh of the season.
CJ Retherford, who went two innings and allowed two hits and an unearned run, picked up the win to put him at 2-1. He was one of seven pitchers on the afternoon for Arizona State.
Petey Paramore was 2-3 with a homer, and Eric Sogard was 2-4 with a homer. Ike Davis and Matt Spencer each added two hits. Spencer finished the weekend 9-12 (.750) with a double, a triple, two homers and seven RBI. He scored six runs in the three games, had two pitching appearances and made some stellar defensive plays in left field.
The Devils will host Utah Valley State on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. before heading off to Corvallis, Oregon for a three-game set with the defending national champion Oregon State Beavers.