The Arizona State baseball team completed its 2012 non-conference season with a sweep of Gonzaga this past weekend in Spokane, Washington. ASU improved to 32-17 on the season and has now won six games in a row and eight of their last nine.
The weekend started on Friday night with another stellar performance from Brady Rodgers. The junior right-hander scattered seven hits over eight innings while striking out four and leading ASU to a 4-2 victory. Rodgers (9-2) has now pitched eight innings in nine of his 13 starts this season.
Trevor Allen and Deven Marrero both homered for the Sun Devils, Allen hit a two-run home run in the fifth inning, and Marrero extended the ASU lead to 4-2 with his solo shot in the seventh.
ASU left little doubt on Saturday, as the Sun Devils beat the Bulldogs 10-1 behind a career high five RBI's from Michael Benjamin. Benjamin went 4-5 with a home run and three singles.
ASU hit three home runs in the first three innings Saturday night, and put up five runs in the first inning. Sophomore right-hander Trevor Williams (10-2) had another solid outing, going seven innings and allowing one run on four hits. Williams did not walk a Bulldog hitter, extending his streak of consecutive innings pitched without a walk to 40.
On Sunday it was all about Nathaniel Causey, as the freshman went 3-3 including a go-ahead two-run double to propel the Sun Devils to a 3-1 win. With the game tied, James McDonald led off the ninth inning with a single, after Michael Benjamin was intentionally walked, Causey delivered with a two-RBI double down the left field line to give ASU a 3-1 lead.
Right-hander Jake Barrett (2-4) earned the win after pitching a perfect 1 1/3 innings. ASU opened up the scoring when Joey DeMichele scored on a sac-fly from Max Rossiter in the sixth inning. Gonzaga (29-20) tied the game on an RBI double by Marco Gonzales in the seventh.
Arizona State plays rival Arizona on Tuesday evening and resumes Pac-12 play this weekend at Packard Stadium against Washington.
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