Baseball wins series over UCLA
The #2 Sun Devil baseball team traveled to Los Angeles and made a statement to the nation, sweeping the #4 Bruins with a 12-3 victory Sunday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Arizona State used a 17-hit attack, including three home runs, to up their record to 38-5, 14-4 in Pac-10 play. It was the first Sun Devil sweep at Jackie Robinson since 1994.
Zack MacPhee, Raoul Torrez and Kole Calhoun all had two run homers, pacing Sun Devil starter Jake Borup to his ninth win of the year. Borup (9-1) went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four, outpitching UCLA start Rob Rasmussen. Rasmussen (6-2) took the loss, lasting only four innings, allowing six earned runs.
Zack MacPhee got the ASU offense started in the top of the first, blasting a two-run homer to left center to put the Devils up 2-0. It was MacPhee's eighth home run of the season. UCLA would come right back and tie things up in the second. A wild pitch and an RBI groundout gave the Bruins a pair of runs and make it a 2-2 ballgame.
Riccio Torrez put the Devils back on top with a two-out RBI single in the top of the third, then Raoul Torrez added two more in the fourth with a two-run homer to centerfield off Rasmussen. It was Raoul's second round-tripper of the year.
Kole Calhoun got into the long ball act in the fifth, blasting a two-run shot of his own to right centerfield to make it 7-2. It was dinger number eight on the season for Calhoun, tying him with MacPhee for the team lead. Raoul Torrez added an RBI single with two gone in the inning to push the lead to 8-2.
Drew Maggi would manufacture another run in the top of the sixth. After drawing a leadoff walk, he stole second and third base and scored on a MacPhee groundout. Maggi now has 29 steals on the year. ASU would add another run on an RBI double by Johnny Ruettiger that made it 10-2.
Arizona State would make it 12-2 in the seventh, thanks to a leadoff triple by Deven Marrero, and RBI single by Jordan Swagerty and an RBI infield single by MacPhee.
Nine Devils collected hits, including three by Johnny Ruettiger. Zack MacPhee drove in four runs on two hits and Raoul Torrez brought in three with his two hit day. The Sun Devils will return home on Tuesday night to face the Arizona Wildcats in a non-conference game at 6:30 p.m. from Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.