Feb. 18, 2011
TEMPE, Ariz. - Sophomore righty Brady Rodgers allowed only two singles through five innings and junior Riccio Torrez turned in his first career multi-homer game as the #11 Sun Devils beat New Mexico 8-2 on Opening Night. 3,143 fans saw Arizona State win its fifth straight season opener.
Rodgers, making his first ever Friday night start, picked up where he left off his freshman season, allowing no runs and striking out five in his five innings to pick up the win. Sophomore Alex Blackford threw the final four, allowing two runs, one earned, to pick up his first career save.
ASU got on the board in the first inning by manufacturing a run. Johnny Ruettiger led off with a single and stole second base. He would come around to score on a Riccio Torrez single to right to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. They would add another run in the second on a Ruettiger sac fly that scored Austin Barnes.
Torrez, last season's Pac-10 Batting Champion, blasted a solo homer to left in the third to make it 3-0, then Zach Wilson scored on a ground ball by Andrew Aplin to make it 4-0. Torrez would do it again in the fourth, sending another ball over the left field fence with two men on to make it 7-0. Deven Marrero would make it 8-0 with an RBI single later that inning.
New Mexico pushed two across in the seventh off Blackford, but would get no closer as Arizona State secured the win.
Torrez tied his career high with four hits and set a new career high with this five RBI. He was one of three Devils with multi-hit games.
ASU and New Mexico will continue the series tomorrow with a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.