(Photo: Dominic Cotroneo/WCSN)
No. 6 Arizona State cruised to a 7-3 win over New Mexico State on Tuesday, and the team has now won nine out its last 10 games.
The ASU baseball squad has already accomplished quite a bit this season, but had struggled against its midweek opponents.
But tonight was a different story, with the Sun Devils outhitting NMSU 11-5. The win was sealed with Trever Allen’s three-run homer that put ASU in control for good.
“I thought their approach in batting practice, their infield practice, and their demeanor in the dugout was very business like, very professional,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “Like they knew ‘Hey we have business to take care of tonight. Let’s take care of that and then we’ll worry about the weekend.’ So I think that we are taking strides in that. We’re not playing the opponent, we’re taking care of Arizona State baseball.”
Shortstop Colby Woodmansee put the Sun Devils on the board when he launched a two-run bomb to left field, giving ASU a 2-0 lead.
Starting pitcher David Graybill caught fire tonight, pitching three innings of no-hit ball, striking out four and only allowing one walk in that span.
“It felt good just to be out on the mound pitching again,” Graybill said. “You know it’s tough starting the season with a little muscle strain, it kind of sets you back. You work for so much during the fall and then the season comes and you kind of have no patience for little stuff like that. It just felt good just to throw with ease and have no pain. It just felt good playing catch with the catcher, that’s all I really did.”
However, the excellent pitching would not last, as reliever Tucker Baca quickly let the Aggies tie the game. Consecutive singles from Lucas Martinez and Derek Umphres knotted the game at two each.
After Baca beaned NMSU batter Aaron Duran, he was relieved by Ryan Hingst who stopped the bleeding with an inning-ending strikeout.
ASU retook the lead in the fifth, thanks to a Coltin Gerhart groundout that brought home Joey Bielek.
Allen broke the game open in the sixth inning when he popped a three-run jack just over the right field wall, giving ASU a 6-2 advantage. An Andrew Snow sacrifice fly brough home Bielek and gave ASU its seventh run.
Since it looked like Allen’s home run would end up as a standard pop fly, he had a jovial take on it after the game.
“Thank God for the wind,” Allen said.”I’ll take it though.”
ASU heads to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Utes in a three game series. First pitch is on Thursday at 5 p.m. with right-handed pitcher Seth Martinez taking the hill for the Sun Devils. The entire series will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Networks.
