Sun Devils sweep through spring break

 by Andrew Pentis
 published on Monday, March 17, 2008

Jeffrey Lowman / THE STATE PRESS

MMMMMGONE!: Junior catcher Petey Paramore unleashes a two-run home run in ASU’s 8-1 win against Troy at Packard Stadium Saturday.

The weekend's start certainly didn't resemble its finish for the still undefeated ASU baseball team.

The No. 1 Sun Devils (17-0) struggled to record the first out of their three-game set with visiting Troy before rallying back to win, 15-9 on Friday.

Inching ever closer to its conference schedule, and therefore stiffer opponents, ASU also topped the Trojans 8-1 on Saturday and 7-1 on Sunday.

Coach Pat Murphy continues to temper the team's start.

"We just have a lot to improve on if we're going to be a great team," he said. "We want to be great. I'm not trying to downplay our team."

ASU's usual trio in the middle of the lineup — juniors Brett Wallace, Petey Paramore and Ike Davis — all crossed home plate with regularity.

Davis, the reigning Pac-10 Player of the Week, hit two home runs Saturday — his third multi-home run effort in five games.

Paramore had six RBIs and Wallace went 8-for-13 at the plate. Each also homered during the series.

"You can't pitch around anyone," Wallace said. "You can't make any mistakes. Ike's been on fire. Petey is clutch even when he's struggling."

And for Troy (12-6), things could not have gone south any quicker as it scored only two runs combined in the final two games of the series.

On the verge of a clean sweep, ASU started sophomore Mike Leake in Sunday's finale on just four days rest, instead of saving him for a non-conference game with UA Tuesday.

Murphy said Leake was operating with "below-average stuff," and asked Leake if he wanted to keep pitching after the fifth frame. The coach lifted Leake, who wanted to continue, in the seventh after Troy managed back-to-back singles. Leake (4-0) allowed five hits and one run while striking out seven.

Senior Tommy Rafferty recorded his second save of the season, pitching three scoreless innings.

The Sun Devil offense scored four runs in the third inning. Sophomore second baseman Raoul Torrez hit a solo home run, and then Paramore plated two with a double into the left-center gap.

Wallace also went deep, driving a two-run home run over the right field fence in the seventh.

Friday, ASU junior transfers Jason Franzblau and Stephen Sauer labored for a good half-hour to end the first inning after yielding six runs to Troy.

Trying to crack the rotation, Franzblau didn't help himself by failing to record a single out during his start.

Starting pitching will be at a premium come Tuesday as the team plays six games in as many days.

Sauer (2-0), who tossed 81 pitches during the next five innings, may prove integral. He allowed two runs and struck out six.

The unsung heroes of ASU's batting lineup began chipping away in the second frame, first on three consecutive singles, then with a two-run home run by senior outfielder Rocky Laguna, who went yard for the second time this year.

ASU sent 12 hitters to the plate in the fifth inning to erase what remained of the deficit, scoring seven runs.

Junior Marcel Champagnie finished with four hits of his own, and his batting average sits at .403.

The Sun Devils sent true freshman Seth Blair to the mound Saturday, but not for long. Blair threw 51 pitches to cover 3 1/3 innings but was pulled despite yielding just two hits.

Murphy said Blair just wasn't at his best.

Murphy called on junior Reyes Dorado and immediately a close play at the plate on a fielder's choice resulted in a Trojan run.

Dorado (3-0) would quell what little offensive momentum Troy had, yielding just one hit and striking out four over the next 3 2/3 innings. He did so using his fastball, compounded by what Murphy and his players call the "loopty."

The looping breaking ball, taking a full second to reach the catcher's mitt, froze Troy hitters on multiple occasions.

"It's a trick, a very positive one, and we can't tell you the secret of the loopty," Murphy said.

Davis ended Troy's Tim Wheeler's short-lived attempt at a shutout with a two-run home run in the fourth inning.

Reach the reporter at: apentis@asu.edu.