Baseball completes series sweep over Utah with 4-2 win

The 20th-ranked Arizona State baseball team swept its three-game conference series against Utah with a 4-2 win on Sunday at Packard Stadium in Tempe, Ariz.
 
The Sun Devils (29-17, 14-10) have now swept three straight Pac-12 home series’ and improved to 12-1 at home this season against conference foes. ASU has recorded at least three series sweeps over conference opponents in each of the past six seasons.
 
James McDonald fouled off five pitches with two outs as part of a 12-pitch at-bat in the eighth inning before he took a walk with the bases loaded to extend ASU’s lead, 4-2. Andrew Aplin led off the frame with a triple and scored the insurance run on McDonald’s walk.              



Right-handed relievers Joseph Lopez (2-0) and Robert Ravago allowed two hits in 3 2/3 scoreless innings before right-hander Jake Barrett (9) closed out the ninth to earn his ninth save of the season. Lopez earned the win after escaping a jam in the fifth and pitching the sixth and seventh innings.   
 


Starting right-hander Alex Blackford gave up two runs on six hits and struck out four in 4 1/3 innings
 
The Utes (12-33, 6-18) scored first for the second game this series on an RBI double, but ASU countered with a run of their own, courtesy of an RBI single by Abe Ruiz, to tie it at one run apiece.  
                                                                                                 


ASU loaded the bases with no outs for Aplin, who hit an RBI sacrifice fly to bring the go-ahead run home in the second inning. Deven Marrero followed with an RBI groundout to put the Devils ahead, 3-1.
 
Parker Morin cut Utah’s deficit to one, 3-2, with his second RBI of the day in the third inning.  
 
Utah starting right-hander Mitch Watrous (2-4) took the loss after surrendering three runs on six hits in 6 1/3 innings.
 
The Sun Devils make their way back to Eastern Washington for a three-game non-conference series with Gonzaga May 11-13. The game on May 11 is set for 6 p.m., while the contest on May 12 will begin at 3 p.m. and the one on May 13 is slated for 1 p.m.
 


Game notes: Max Rossiter extended his hitting streak to 13 games, his longest of the season…Joey DeMichele recorded two stolen bases.