(Photo: Gabrielle Mercer/WCSN)
Everything went right for Arizona State on Friday night in a non-conference game against New Mexico. They got good hitting and good starting pitching, which resulted in a decisive 9-5 win.
The victory was headlined by seven extra base hits, and once again it seemed as if everyone from top to bottom in the lineup came through with a big hit.
MVP: The offensive onslaught consistent of a rotating cast of batters, but among them it was Colby Woodmansee who stood out the most among his fellow Sun Devils.
Woody had two hits, one was a run scoring double down the left field line and the other was a RBI bloop single, which gave him his team leading 16th multi-hit game. He also added a sac fly in the first inning. The three runs batted in raised his total to 34, which also leads the team.
Unsung Hero: Seth Martinez continued his mark of consistency this season. While he wasn’t sharp for his entire outing, Martinez was able to work around four walks to allow two runs, neither of which were earned, over six and 2/3 innings.
He was hurt by a dropped fly ball by Daniel Williams, which brought home a run in the fourth, and a passed ball by Brian Serven in the fifth, which contributed towards another run.
Outside of those fielding blemishes, Martinez cruised threw the Lobos lineup, which featured sluggers Chris DeVito and Carl Stajduhar, especially in the first three innings, when he struck out five batters.
You knew it was over when: The top three hitters in the Sun Devils lineup contributed back-to-back-to-back doubles down the left field line off of Carson Schneider in the second inning. The onslaught doubled the lead from 3-0 to 6-0 and it was more than what Martinez needed to get through his outing.
Andrew Snow, David Greer, and Woodmansee were responsible for the RBI doubles, which were aided by a Gage Canning single that preceded them.
Biggest Concern: It is a minor concern for now, but Tucker Baca’s hit by pitch count grew by one this season. His wildness has been present more often than not in his outings, and him continuing to walk batters and them with the pitch is a growing problem.
Stat of the Night: Two triples were hit by the Sun Devils, which is the third time this season they have hit more than one in a game. Canning and Daniel Williams had three base hits in the game and both ended up coming around to score.
What’s Next: ASU will face the Lobos twice more in this series with the chance to improve their overall record. As of now, their starting pitchers for the next two games have not been announced. UNM will throw right-hander Tyler Stevens and lefty Colton Thompson on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
