Leake pitches for #1 baseball past UC Irvine 11-3

Top ranked Arizona State defeated No. 5 UC Irvine 11-3 Sunday in the finale of the Bob Schaefer Memorial Invitational in front of a crowd of 3,375 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. The Sun Devils improved to 22-1 on the season with the victory in a rematch of 2007 College World Series participants and the most anticipated game of the tournament.

Starting pitcher Mike Leake threw a complete game, the third of his career and first of the season, allowing seven hits and three earned runs to earn the win and move to 5-0 on the season. He had nine strikeouts and no walks, improving his season totals to 42 strikeouts and just two walks in 40 innings.

Ike Davis led the offensive effort with four hits and three RBI, including a two-run home run over the Green Monster in center, his eighth homer of the season. He is the 22nd player in history, the 16th Sun Devil and the second this season to clear the Monster. Jason Kipnis turned the trick earlier in the year.

The Anteaters took an early lead with a run in the first, but they would not score again until a two-run homer in the ninth.

Davis' homer in the third gave the Sun Devils a 2-1 lead, and they added one run each in the fifth and sixth innings on a sacrifice fly by Kipnis and an RBI single by Raoul Torrez.

ASU broke the game open with a four-run seventh. Davis and Petey Paramore each had RBI singles, and Marcel Champagnie capped off the inning with a two-run single over the head of the third baseman.

The Sun Devils then put three more runs on the board in the eighth, as Brett Wallace stole home on a double steal and Kiel Roling and Champagnie each had RBI singles.

In addition to Davis' performance, Champagnie and Roling each had three hits while Paramore and Torrez added two hits apiece.

ASU returns to action Friday, opening the Pac-10 season against USC with first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.