April 30, 2010
LOS ANGELES, Ariz. - The Friday night match-up was all it was billed to be at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles, as the second-ranked Sun Devils faced off with the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins. Arizona State came out with a 5-1 victory, thanks to a four-run eighth that broke a 1-1 tie. With the win, ASU improves to 36-5 on the year, 12-4 in the Pac-10.
Seth Blair got the start for the Devils and was outstanding for 6.2, allowing only a run on six hits while striking out six. He got a no decision. UCLA starter Gerrit Cole was also phenomenal, striking out nine in his seven innings of work. But Cole allowed two runs and took the loss, falling to 6-2.
UCLA struck first in the bottom of the second, pushing a run across against Blair when Dean Espy grounded into a double play with a man on third. The Devils would pull even in the fourth, thanks to a Riccio Torrez double off the wall in right center that scored Kole Calhoun from second.
The game remained deadlocked at 1-1 until the top of the eighth, when the Sun Devils plated four runs to take a 5-1 lead. The big blast came from Johnny Ruettiger, who sent a shot into the right centerfield gap with two men on. When the dust cleared, Ruettiger stood on third with a triple and ASU had a 3-1 lead. Raoul Torrez made it 4-1 with an RBI single that scored Ruettiger, and Austin Barnes would push it to 5-1 with a sac fly later in the inning.
That was all the offense Arizona State would need, as Mitchell Lambson came out of the bullpen to throw the final 2.1 innings, not allowing a base runner and earning the win to move to 5-2 on the season. Lambson fanned five of the seven batters he faced, including all three in the ninth to seal the victory.
Kole Calhoun and Raoul Torrez led the Sun Devil offense with two hits apiece and a run scored each. Johnny Ruettiger drove in two runs, which ended up being the game winners. ASU totaled nine hits while UCLA collected six.
The Sun Devils and Bruins will continue their series on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. from Jackie Robinson Stadium.