May 4, 2012
TEMPE, Ariz. - The 20th-ranked Arizona State baseball team hit a pair of two-run homers and right-hander Brady Rodgers retired the final 16 batters he faced as the Sun Devils defeated Utah 5-3 on Friday night at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Rodgers (8-2) tied his season high with nine strikeouts in eight innings and allowed three runs and five hits, all in the first three innings, as he collected his eighth win of the season. He struck out the final batter of the third frame before throwing five consecutive perfect innings. He did not allow an extra-base hit and has allowed just nine in 91 2/3 innings this season.
Michael Benjamin and Max Rossiter each hit a two-run home run and combined for six hits, four RBI and three runs scored. It was the second home run of the season for both Sun Devils (27-17, 12-10).
Right-hander Jake Barrett (8) recorded his eighth save of the season after highlighting his perfect ninth inning with a strikeout to end the game.
The Utes (12-31, 6-16) took an early two-run lead in the top of the second inning on three singles up the middle, but ASU responded with a two-run homer by Rossiter in the bottom half of the frame to tie it up, 2-2. Utah regained the advantage, 3-2, in the top of the third on an RBI single.
ASU put three runs on the board in the sixth inning behind an RBI double by Nathaniel Causey and a two-run homer by Benjamin to take the lead, 5-3. The Devils secured all three hits in the frame with two outs as Rossiter started the rally with a double before Causey and Benjamin each drove in runs.
Utah starting right-hander Brock Duke (2-4) went 7 1/3 innings and took the loss after he gave up five runs on nine hits and struck out three.
The Sun Devils face Utah at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday for game two at Packard Stadium. The contest will be broadcast live by Sun Devil Sports Network on The Fan AM 1060 and will also be webcast by FoxSportsArizona.com.
Saturday's projected pitching matchup:
ASU - RHP Trevor Williams (8-2, 1.94 ERA)
Utah - RHP Joe Pond (3-7, 6.06 ERA)
Game notes: Attendance was 2,996...neither team issued a walk until the bottom of the eighth inning...game time was 2 hours, 8 minutes.