June 4, 2011
VIDEO: Arizona State post-game press conference
VIDEO: Charlotte post-game press conference
TEMPE, Ariz. - Xorge Carrillo had a career-high five hits and Kramer Champlin threw seven shutout innings to lead the Arizona State University baseball team to a 16-1 victory over Charlotte in the Tempe Regional on Saturday. The Sun Devils are now 41-16 overall, 2-0 in the Regional, and will play the winner of Sunday afternoon's game between Arkansas and Charlotte on Sunday night.
One night after being held to five hits by New Mexico, the Sun Devil bats came alive against the 49ers. They pounded out a season-high 19 hits and had six players record multi-hit games.
Carrillo led the offensive explosion, going 5-for-6 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored. Andrew Aplin was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, and Johnny Ruettiger, Riccio Torrez, Zach Wilson and Zack MacPhee all had two hits apiece.
Champlin was fantastic on the mound, allowing just one hit over seven innings and setting a career high with nine strikeouts to improve to 9-3 on the season.
The Sun Devils, playing as the designated visiting team, got on the board in the first on an RBI groundout by Joey DeMichele. Torrez would add another RBI groundout in the third to make it 2-0, and then ASU broke it open in the fourth. Carrillo hit a three-run homer off Charlotte reliever Chad Rothlin, and later in the inning, Torrez brought in two runs with a triple over the head of the right fielder.
Deven Marrero's sacrifice fly and Torrez's RBI single in the fifth extended the lead to 9-0. MacPhee had an RBI single and Marrero an RBI groundout in the seventh to make it 11-0, and then in the eighth, Wilson hit a two-run homer and Aplin had a two-run double.
ASU added one more in the ninth, when pinch hitter Daniel Milner singled in Brandon Magee. Charlotte got its only run in the bottom of the ninth on a sacrifice fly off reliever Josh Moody.
Charlotte will face Arkansas, who defeated New Mexico 3-0 in the first game on Saturday, in an elimination game on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The winner will then face ASU at 6 p.m. on Sunday.