March 10, 2009

Box Score

SURPRISE, Ariz. - The No. 4 Arizona State University baseball team fell 6-2 to Kansas State on Tuesday in the opening game of the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise Stadium. The Sun Devils dropped to 11-2 on the season with the loss.

Despite allowing just one earned run over seven innings, Mike Leake took the loss and fell to 3-1 on the season. Kansas State pitcher A.J. Morris earned the win to improve to 4-0, holding the Sun Devils to just five hits over 8.1 innings. Third baseman Jason King led the Wildcat offense, going 3-for-3 with five RBI, including a three-run home run in the eighth, while first baseman Justin Bloxom also went 3-for-3 in the game.

King gave Kansas State an early lead with a sacrifice fly to center in the first, but the Sun Devils tied the game in the second on a solo home run to straight away center by catcher Carlos Ramirez. It was Ramirez's team-leading sixth homer of the season.

Kansas State took the lead back for good in the fourth when King doubled in Bloxom. The Wildcats then scored four in the eighth off Mitchell Lambson, on an RBI single by Nick Martini and King's three-run homer to left.

Jason Kipnis drove in a run in the ninth to complete the scoring.

ASU and Kansas State will play again Wednesday in Surprise, with first pitch scheduled for one hour after the conclusion of the Spring Training game between the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Mariners.