Feb. 26, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. - The second-ranked Sun Devil baseball team opened up their four-game series with Towson in style, beating the Tigers 15-1 in front of 2,630 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. ASU scored in all eight innings and rapped out 19 hits, including four triples and eight total extra base hits.
Seth Blair got the starting nod and was lights out for his five innings of work. Blair tied his career high with nine strike outs, including five looking. He allowed one run on six hits and walked two to up his record to 2-0. Mitchell Lambson threw two scoreless innings, striking out three. He was followed by Jake Barrett, who struck out the side in his inning of work. Jordan Swagerty threw a scoreless ninth to close things out.
The Sun Devils wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, thanks to a Riccio Torrez RBI single in the bottom of the first that scored Zack MacPhee. Raoul Torrez made it 2-0 in the second, bringing in Zach Wilson with a double down the left field line. A Kole Calhoun sacrifice fly plated MacPhee in the third to make it 3-0.
ASU would score twice more in the fourth to make it 5-0. Wilson scored on a Johnny Ruettiger sac fly, then another run came home on a bases loaded infield single by Calhoun. Towson would push a run across in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Kevin Collins.
Austin Barnes pushed the lead back to five runs in the fifth, singling through the left side to score Matt Newman. Drew Maggi made it 8-1 with a double down the left field line that scored Austin Barnes and Raoul Torrez. Arizona State would add four more in the sixth to make it 12-1. With two outs and the bases loaded, Raoul Torrez sent a shot to the gap in left center, clearing the bases. He would come around on a Deven Marrero pinch hit infield single that put ASU up 11. A Matt Newman sac fly in the seventh made it 13-1. A Deven Marrero triple in the eighth plated Austin Barnes to make it 14-1, then a Joey DeMichele RBI ground out made it 15-1 and close out the ASU scoring.
Zack MacPhee went 3-3 with two walks and a run scored, including his fifth triple of the season. Riccio Torrez had three hits of his own, as did his brother Raoul, who drove in four runs and was a homer shy of the cycle. Zach Wilson also had two hits for the ASU offense.
The Devils and Towson will continue their series tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.