Baseball team hits World Series

Behind a complete game gem from Josh Spence, the Arizona State University baseball team advanced to the 2009 College World Series with an 8-2 win over Clemson on Sunday to win the Tempe Super Regional.

A second straight above-capacity crowd of 4,406 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark saw the Sun Devils improve to 49-12 on the season with the victory.

The win puts ASU in the College World Series for the 21st time in school history and the third time in the last five seasons.

Spence, in just his third game back after missing a month due to injury, allowed just four hits and two runs while striking out 10 in his second complete game of the season. He moved to 9-1 with the win, and he now has 109 strikeouts on the year, giving the Sun Devils two pitchers with more than 100 strikeouts for the first time since 1992.

Kole Calhoun, Jason Kipnis and Matt Newman all drove in two runs apiece to lead the offense, with Kipnis and Calhoun each coming through with two-run hits in a five-run fifth inning that put the Sun Devils ahead for good.

The Devils will face North Carolina in the opening game of the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. on June 13 or June 14.