Torrez's grand slam highlights baseball's victory over Arizona

April 29, 2009

With a grand slam from <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/torrez_riccio00.html">… Torrez</a> and an offensive outburst in the ninth inning, the No. 1 Arizona State University baseball team defeated Arizona 20-3 in a non-conference game in Tucson on Wednesday. The Sun Devils improve to 32-9 on the season with the victory.<separator></separator>Torrez's first career grand slam came in the fourth inning to give ASU the lead, and the Sun Devils would put the game away with 13 runs in the ninth, the most runs they have scored in one inning this season. It marked the second straight game between the two teams that the Sun Devils hit the 20-run mark. They defeated Arizona 23-9 on March 22 to complete the sweep of the teams' three-game Pac-10 series.<separator></separator>Freshman <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/swagerty_jordan00.html… Swagerty</a> earned the win on the mound, coming on from the bullpen to throw 3.1 shutout innings and improve to 2-1 on the season. It continued a stellar recent stretch for Swagerty, as he has two wins and a save in the team's last five games. Sophomore <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/newman_matt00.html">Ma… Newman</a> started, going 4.2 innings and allowing eight hits and three earned runs.<separator></separator>The Wildcats struck first with a run in the second, but Newman would limit the damage by getting a flyout and strikeout when Arizona had runners on second and third with one out.<separator></separator>In the fourth, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/kipnis_jason00.html">J… Kipnis</a> and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ramirez_carlos00.html"… Ramirez</a> walked and Newman singled before Torrez's grand slam to left put ASU in front. The Sun Devils would add two more in the fifth, on an RBI double by Ramirez and a run-scoring single by Newman.<separator></separator>Arizona cut into the lead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but ASU answered back in the top of the sixth on a solo home run by <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ruettiger_johnny00.htm… Ruettiger</a>. It was Ruettiger's first career home run.<separator></separator>The Sun Devil offense exploded in the ninth, an inning that saw <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/calhoun_kole00.html">K… Calhoun</a> hit a two-run homer and two-run double, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/ruiz_abe00.html">Abe Ruiz</a> drive in three with a triple and Kipnis bring home two runs with a bases-loaded double.<separator></separator>Torrez and Calhoun had four RBI each while Newman and Ruiz each drove in three in the game. Newman had three hits to lead the Sun Devils, who had 11 different players get at least one hit.<separator></separator>ASU returns to Pac-10 action with a three-game series at Oregon State beginning Friday.