April 24, 2013
TEMPE, Ariz. - The eighth-ranked Arizona State University baseball team scored runs in each of the first four innings and starting right-hander Zak Miller put together a career night for a 5-2 win over UNLV on Wednesday night at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
Miller (3-0) went a career-long 5 2/3 innings and struck out a career-high seven to earn his third win of the season, including his second against UNLV in the past two weeks. He allowed just four base runners over the first four innings before giving up two runs, including one earned, in the fifth inning.
The Sun Devils (25-12-1) took a 5-0 lead after four innings, and Miller and a pair of right-handed relievers scattered eight hits and a pair of runs across nine frames to keep ASU's lead intact throughout.
Right fielder Trever Allen went 3-for-4 with two RBI and shortstop Drew Stankiewicz added a pair of hits, while right-hander Ryan Burr (8) closed out the ninth for his eighth save of the season.
Burr is now tied for second on the school's freshmen saves list with Mitch Dean (1976) and Jason Jarvis (2007) by three.
Catcher Max Rossiter put ASU on top in the first inning with a two-out RBI double to left field that scored second baseman James McDonald, who reached on a base hit, and a trio of singles in the bottom of the second was punctuated by a two-out RBI knock by center fielder Kasey Coffman to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.
Designated hitter RJ Ybarra singled in the third inning after a walk by Rossiter to put runners on the corners for Allen, who drove both of them home with two-run double that gave the Devils a four-run advantage.
Coffman plated the fifth run of the game for ASU in the fourth inning after he reached base on a fielder's choice, stole second and scored on an RBI double by third baseman Michael Benjamin.
UNLV registered its first runs of the game with three hits, including two RBI singles, in the top of the fifth inning to move within three, 5-2.
Starting left-hander Mark Shannon (4-2) took the loss after conceding five runs on six hits in 3 1/3 innings.
Up Next:
The Sun Devils travel to Salt Lake City for a three-game Pac-12 series against Utah over the weeekend. Friday's game begins at 5 p.m., with first pitch on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m. (all times local Pacific). All three games will be broadcast by Tim Healey and former Devil Seth Dhaenens on the MidFirst Bank Sun Devil IMG Sports Network on NBC Sports Radio AM 1060 and on the All-Access player on thesundevils.com.
Game Notes:
Coach Esmay moved to 70-16-1 against non-conference opponents...prior to the game, Sun Devil Baseball and the ASU ROTC commemorated former Sun Devil and former active duty Marine Rick Monday's flag-saving play on April 25, 1976, at Dodgers Stadium. Twenty-eight ROTC cadets unfurled a 30' by 60' American Flag on the outfield prior to the game, and there was also a public address recognition.
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