March 13, 2010

Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 2 Arizona State University baseball team again showed their comeback ability on Saturday, rallying from an early deficit to defeat Auburn 16-7 at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark. A season-high 3,920 fans saw the Sun Devils improve to 14-0 on the year with the victory.

Auburn jumped on top right away, scoring three runs in the first inning, but ASU rallied in the bottom half. Kole Calhoun drove in a run with a groundout, Matt Newman had an RBI double and Zach Wilson followed with a two-run double to give the Sun Devils a 4-3 lead. The Tigers answered in the second, as first baseman Hunter Morris hit a three-run homer to right that put Auburn on top 6-4.

ASU then responded in the next two innings with home runs. Xorge Carrillo tied the game with a two-run shot to left in the third, and Zack MacPhee put the Devils ahead with a solo homer to right in the fourth.

The Sun Devils opened up the gap with a three-run fifth. Johnny Ruettiger started the scoring by coming home on a throwing error, Drew Maggi brought in a run with a sacrifice fly and MacPhee plated another with an RBI groundout.

Auburn scored one run in the sixth, but Raoul Torrez's two-run double in the bottom half of the inning stretched the ASU lead to 12-7. The Sun Devils would score four more in the eighth, with Newman tripling and scoring on an error, Ruettiger coming through with his second RBI double of the game and sacrifice flies by Maggi and MacPhee.

Six different Sun Devils had two or more hits in the game, with Newman, Ruettiger and Carrillo leading the way with three hits apiece. MacPhee had three RBI, while Maggi, Wilson, Carrillo and Raoul Torrez drove in two runs each. All nine players in the lineup reached base at least once in the game.

Merrill Kelly started and got the win to improve to 4-0 in his first four starts. He went 5.1 innings, allowing eight hits and seven runs while striking out six. Jimmy Patterson got the final two outs in the sixth inning, and Mitchell Lambson then earned his third save with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.

The Sun Devils will complete their three-game series with Auburn on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Winkles Field-Packard Stadium at Brock Ballpark.