March 29, 2008
TEMPE, Ariz. - #1 Arizona State used a big second inning to race past USC 13-5 in front of 3,600 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The win puts ASU at 24-1 and clinches the series win over the Trojans. The Devils move to 2-0 in Pac-10 Play.
The Trojans opened the scoring in the top of the first, touching starter Mike Leake for a run on a Derek Perren RBI single with two outs. The Devils would answer back in the bottom half on Kiel Roling RBI single off USC starter Kevin Couture that scored Ike Davis to make it 1-1.
Controversy struck at the end of the first, as Brett Wallace was thrown out at home on a double steal, then was ejected by home plate umpire Ken Eldridge. Pat Murphy came out to argue, but it was to no avail.
Arizona State would exact their revenge in the bottom of the second, scoring seven times to take an 8-1 lead. Matt Newman put ASU up 3-1, hitting his first career home run to right field with Marcel Champagnie aboard. Rocky Laguna would make it 4-1 with his RBI single that scored Raoul Torrez. Ike Davis made it 5-1 with a single up the middle that scored Laguna. Mike Murphy, playing in place of Wallace, drove home a run with a sacrifice bunt that scored Jason Kipnis from third. Kiel Roling doubled to center to bring home Ike Davis and make it 7-1. Champagnie would bring home Roling from third with an infield single that put ASU up 8-1.
After USC cut the lead to 8-1 in the third, Champagnie doubled home Kiel Roling from first to make it 9-2 in the fourth. A wild pitch would score Champagnie from home to make it 10-2. A Laguna RBI single would score Newman from second and make it 11-2. USC added two in the sixth, as Derek Perren and Mike Roskopf hit back-to-back homers off Leake to slice the ASU lead to 11-4. Jason Kipnis would make it 12-4 with an RBI single that scored Torrez, then USC would add a run the top of the seventh to make it 12-5. Arizona State would add one in the bottom of the seventh to stretch it to 13-5 when Petey Paramore came home on a Jordan Hershiser wild pitch.
Leake went seven innings, striking out six to pick up his sixth win of the year. He allowed five runs on ten hits and did not walk a batter for the third straight outing. Tommy Rafferty and Dustin Brader pitched the final two innings without allowing a Trojan to reach base.
Kiel Roling was 3-4 with two RBI, while Petey Paramore and Rocky Laguna each had three hits as well. Laguna added two RBI. Jason Kipnis, Ike Davis, Marcel Champagnie and Raoul Torrez all had two hits, as Arizona State pounded out 19 for the game.
The Devils and Trojans will wrap up the three-game set tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.