May 9, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - Carlos Ramirez had a home run and five RBI as the No. 4 Arizona State University baseball team defeated Winthrop 10-9 on Saturday at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. A crowd of 3,056 saw the Sun Devils improve to 37-11 on the season with the victory.
Ramirez had a two-run homer over the green monster in the first inning. It was his 14th of the season, and he became the 23rd player in history to hit a home run over the monster. He then had a three-run double in the second to give him a new career high with five RBI in the game.
The Sun Devils had four home runs in the win, as Kole Calhoun, Jason Kipnis and Matt Newman all had solo shots. It was the second straight night that Kipnis had a home run, and it tied him with Ramirez for the team lead with 14.
Seth Blair got the win out of the bullpen, going four innings and allowing six hits and three earned runs with five strikeouts to improve to 5-1 on the season. Jordan Swagerty started and got a no decision, as he allowed six earned runs on nine hits over five innings.
For the second straight game, ASU jumped on the board early, this time scoring four runs in the first. Kipnis started the scoring with an RBI double, Ramirez followed with a two-run homer and then Calhoun made it back-to-back home runs with a solo blast to right center.
Winthrop answered in the second, as Aaron Bonomi hit a three-run homer to bring the Eagles within a run. The Sun Devils then scored four more in the bottom of the second on Ramirez's bases-loaded double and a ground rule double by Abe Ruiz.
The Eagles chipped away at the lead with two runs in the third and a run in the fifth before tying the game with two runs off Blair in the sixth.
Kipnis then put the Sun Devils back in front with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth, and Newman added a solo shot of his own in the seventh. Winthrop first baseman Eddie Tisdale hit a solo home run in the eighth to cut the ASU lead to one. They put a runner on second with two outs in the ninth, but Blair got Cam Walters to ground out to end the game.
The Sun Devils and Eagles will complete their three-game series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.