Sun Devils squeeze by rival Wildcats

 by Andrew Pentis
 published on Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Bettina Hansen / THE STATE PRESS

CLOSE, CLOSER: Junior Ike Davis went from playing first base for eight innings to taking the mound in the ninth to close out ASU’s 6-5 win against UA Tuesday at Packard Stadium.

Bettina Hansen / THE STATE PRESS

OVER AND OUT: Sophomore infielder Raoul Torrez fields the final out that secured a 6-5 win for ASU over UA Tuesday at Packard Stadium. The Sun Devils’ record now stands at a perfect 18-0.

Five days after his finest start of the season, senior pitcher Josh Satow had his worst.

Satow's kick to the bucket was throwing 31 pitches in Tuesday night's fourth inning, which proved to be his last when he relinquished a three-run lead to No. 2 UA (12-3).

But that was only after junior shortstop Marcel Champagnie committed his ninth fielding error of the season.

Still, the No. 1 ASU baseball team (18-0) overcame, sticking to its script of perfection.

The host Sun Devils topped eternal foe UA, 6-5, in front of 4,235 spectators, despite Satow's unusually poor start.

He allowed five runs, four earned, and three doubles to the Wildcats in what equaled his shortest outing thus far.

ASU coach Pat Murphy said Satow "threw the ball every bit as good as he did" when he lasted 7 2/3 innings and struck out seven against Arkansas March 12.

"A couple of mistakes, and they made him pay," said Murphy, whose team now stands four wins from the school's best start to a season ever.

Champagnie redeemed himself with an RBI sacrifice fly to center field to help ASU take a lead in the fourth frame.

Murphy called on juniors Stephen Sauer and Reyes Dorado, both transfers, to vouch for Satow and prolong the bullpen's success. ASU relievers haven't allowed a run in 14 1/3 innings, a streak that began Friday.

Sauer allowed the tying run to reach third base in the sixth inning, before striking out two Wildcat hitters to end the inning.

Dorado entered in the seventh and struck out four in a row during his outing, which included the eighth inning as well. The pair then gave way to junior Ike Davis in the ninth.

"Only if we had that last year," Davis said of the relief pitchers. "They've stepped into their roles. It's fun to have a group of pitchers you can count on."

After allowing the tying runner to reach third base on a wild pitch in the ninth inning, Davis was visited by Murphy on the mound.

"I told him when I went out and visited with him, 'Hey, Ike, these guys can't hit you," Murphy said.

Davis retired the final two hitters, closing the game for his first save. He pumped his fist and teammates charged the mound to jump on his back.

"That was awesome," Davis said, smiling. "We should do it more often."

Murphy said Davis will continue to close at times depending on future situations.

"That's the way Ike has thrown the ball all year," the coach said.

ASU scored three runs in the opening inning off UA's starter, junior righty Mike Colla.

Davis, who played the game's first eight innings at first base, slapped Colla's first offering inches over the reach of UA's shortstop to bring the first pair of runners across home plate.

Davis scored from third base shortly thereafter while senior Rocky Laguna was caught in a pickle between first base and second base.

Junior Brett Wallace, the sixth hitter in the second frame, lined a first-pitch fastball into right field for a two-RBI single and ASU's three-run lead. He reached base four times and raised his batting average to a team-leading .448.

Colla pitched 4 2/3 innings with four runs being charged to his name and was lifted after yielding the go-ahead run, which proved to be the eventual game-winner.

Always a Sun Devil

Ineligible two-way player Jason Jarvis and former Sun Devil Tim Smith, who helped ASU reach the College World Series in 2007, sang "Take Me out to the Ballgame," during the seventh inning stretch Tuesday night.

Reach the reporter at: apentis@asu.edu.

For more ASU baseball coverage, visit thesundevilsweetspot.blogspot.com.