(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)
Arizona State’s resurrection continued on Sunday as the Sun Devils (33-19, 15-12) defeated the UCLA Bruins (25-28, 13-14) 10-4 to capture a sixth-consecutive series win.
In a drastic change of events from last night’s blowout loss, Tracy Smith’s team was able to ride an effective outing from utility man Jordan Aboites, who surrendered eight hits and four walks over a carrer-long seven innings, but was able to limit the damage to three earned runs.
It didn’t hurt that Aboites trotted out to the mound with an early 3-0 lead to work with, courtesy of a David Greer two-run home run and Andrew Snow sacrifice fly in the first inning.
For the remainder of the game, it was subtle contributions that helped the Sun Devils pull ahead 6-3, until the ninth inning, where the bats erupted to drive in four extra insurance runs.
It was a series of blowouts – each game was decided by an average of 8.7 runs – and Arizona State was able to make both a strong first impression, as well as a lasting impression, in games one and three, when it mattered most.
Player of the Game: Jordan Aboites
Aboites played the role of ironman in the contest, pitching for seven innings before being called upon to finish the game at second base. On the mound, Aboites gave up eight hits and walked four batters, yielding just three runs in the process to earn his sixth win of the year. His era coming into the game (3.62) ranks sixth on the team among pitchers who have appeared in more than 10 games.
Unsung Hero: David Greer
Earlier in the year, Aboites stressed the importance of taking the mound with a lead. Thanks to Greer, he was given the reigns with all the confidence he needed. Greer launched a two-run shot, his seventh of the season, in the first inning. He finished 2-5 with the home run and a double, to accompany the two early RBIs.
Next up:
Arizona State will head back to Phoenix Muni for its last series of the regular season against USC (25-26, 13-13). With the win today, Arizona State cannot finish with a conference winning percentage below .500. On the flip side, ASU cannot win the Pac-12 but can finish as high as second.
