Sometimes when a team loses it learns a valuable lesson for next time.
In a 16-1 loss to ASU, the UNLV Rebels learned a valuable lesson it won't be able to use until next year: stay far, far away from the losers' bracket.
Playing three games in two days after losing to New Mexico State 14-12 in 11 innings Friday, the Rebels spent 10 of their pitching arms just to make it into the final day of the tournament. It made the task of defeating top-seeded ASU even more challenging.
"We didn't lose this game today," UNLV head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. "We lost this game Friday afternoon."
Facing a depleted Rebels' pitching staff, the Sun Devils handily took care of UNLV (47-17) to advance into next week's Super Regional against Cal State Fullerton
The Titans held up their home field advantage by defeating Notre Dame 8-1 in their Regional Championship in Fullerton, Calif.
The two squads will face off in a best of three series starting Friday night at Goodwin Field in Fullerton. The winner advances to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. June 13-23.
"They're a great club," ASU head coach Pat Murphy said of Fullerton. "I'd probably pick another team (to play) if I could, but it's not up to me."
Against UNLV the Sun Devils (53-12) continued their hot swinging bats from the ninth inning Saturday when they scored 12 times. Sunday they did all their scoring in each of the first six innings.
ASU's first inning success was keyed by UNLV starter Adam Lesko. Entering the game with a 0-2 record and a 9.26 ERA, Lesko gave up six earned runs in just one-third inning of work.
"I knew if he could get through the first we'd have a shot," Schlossnagle said. "But we were taking a shot against a great club."
Lesko didn't have any of his stuff, walking four batters including two to force in runs. The final dagger to his day was a two-run single by senior third baseman Dennis Wyrick to make it 5-0.
"By the time I got up the load was off my back," said Wyrick, who garnered All-Regional Team honors batting .500 (5-for-10) with six RBI. "And when the guy behind you is swinging just as good if not better, if you don't get it done the next guy is probably going to get it done, and that's a great feeling."
Despite tallying six times in the first inning, the Sun Devils mustered up just three hits. They didn't let the bats fall asleep though, clubbing 12 hits over the next five innings to work the score up to 16-0.
Of ASU's 19 hits in the game, only two were for extra bases with one coming in the form of sophomore first baseman Jeff Larish's 17th homerun of the season. The other was a triple to the gap by sophomore shortstop Dustin Pedroia, who earned Most Outstanding Player of the Regional.
"He's the Pete Rose of college baseball," Murphy said of Pedroia, who hit .500 (8-for-16) with three RBI and made dazzling defensive plays all weekend. "He takes his game real personal and that's a beautiful thing in our game. He's a special guy."
Another All-Regional selection was ASU senior Ben Thurmond, the Sun Devil's Sunday starter. Thurmond kept the UNLV bats quiet for five innings, allowing three hits and striking out two for his seventh win of the season.
"I wanted to take everything pitch by pitch, hit my spots and trust my defense," Thurmond said.
For the weekend as a whole ASU sported a miniscule 0.67 ERA, allowing just three runs, two earned, in the series. They've only allowed six earned runs in the last six games overall.
Now the Sun Devils will prepare to face Cal State Fullerton in what should be one of the most competitive Super Regionals in the country. According to baseball America at the end of the regular season, Cal State Fullerton and ASU were ranked third and fifth in the country respectively. No other Super Regional features two teams as highly ranked.
"(ASU) is not a national seed, they're a top three or four seed in the country," Schlossnagle said. "The only other team I've seen remotely close to ASU is Fullerton, and the fact they have to play each other for the right to go to Omaha is unfair."
Fair or not, ASU still has to take care of business at Fullerton if they want to compete for a national title in two weeks.
"I think we play just as well on the road as at home," Wyrick said. "When you play on the road it takes a lot of things off your mind and you can just concentrate on baseball, and being a baseball player for that weekend."
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
