Baseball pounds San Francisco


Box Score

All nine starters had two or more hits as the No. 2 Arizona State University baseball team defeated San Francisco 21-3 in front of 3,248 fans on Wednesday at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The Sun Devils improve to 35-5 on the season with the victory.

Riccio Torrez had four hits, tying his career high for the second straight night, and three RBI to lead the offensive attack. Deven Marrero had three hits, while Zach Wilson drove in four runs. Wilson and Johnny Ruettiger each had home runs in the win as well. In all, 11 different players had a hit and scored a run in the game.

Alex Blackford got the start, allowing five hits and three runs with four strikeouts over three innings. Josh Moody earned the win out of the bullpen, as he gave up two hits and struck out four in three scoreless innings of relief. He improves to 2-0 on the season. Brady Rodgers earned his second save with three perfect innings out of the bullpen, striking out five in the process.

San Francisco struck first in the game, scoring three runs off Blackford in the second inning to take an early lead. However, the Sun Devils got the offense going in the third with five runs. Kole Calhoun and Riccio Torrez scored on a throwing error, Marrero then drove in two with a double to the left field corner, and then he came around to score on another error.

ASU added five more runs in the fifth on RBI doubles by Drew Maggi and Ruettiger and RBI singles by Zack MacPhee, Torrez and Wilson. MacPhee added another RBI single and Torrez hit a two-run double in the sixth to make it 13-3.

The Devils then put eight runs on the board in the seventh, with Wilson and Ruettiger providing the big blasts with back-to-back home runs to cap off the scoring.

The Sun Devils will now return to Pacific-10 Conference action, heading to UCLA for a three-game series beginning Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles.