Senior right-hander Jason Urquidez hadn't started a game for the ASU baseball team since Feb. 18.
When he was asked to fill in after an injury to sophomore right-hander Zechry Zinicola caused a change in the rotation, Urquidez made a case to stay there.
Urquidez tossed eight solid innings and senior first baseman Jeff Larish did the rest Saturday afternoon, as ASU downed No. 23 USC 2-1 in the rubber game of the Pac-10-opening series at Dedeaux Field.
The game was tied in the top of the 10th inning when Larish came to the plate with two runners on and no outs. Larish hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring junior third baseman Travis Buck from third to give ASU the lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, USC (14-8, 1-2 Pac-10) had a runner on third with one out, but Zinicola deduced a strikeout and a fielder's choice for his second save of the season.
"I am really proud of our guys to come on the road and battle back from a tough loss Thursday night to win the series," ASU coach Pat Murphy said. "We had a lot of great performances to get a win in a playoff-type atmosphere."
The Sun Devils (18-13, 2-1) took a 1-0 lead in the fourth on Larish's 12th home run.
The score stayed that way until the eighth, when USC junior catcher Jeff Clement hit a solo homer off Urquidez. Neither team scored again until Larish's game-winning sacrifice fly.
Junior left-hander Brett Bordes (2-3) got the win by throwing a scoreless ninth inning.
The nail-biting victory followed up Friday's laugher. ASU scored nine runs in the fourth en route to a 17-1 thrashing of USC.
Senior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch had the most prolific outing of his career, going 5 for 6 with a double, a triple and four RBIs. Sophomore left fielder Colin Curtis and sophomore second baseman Seth Dhaenens each collected three hits, and Larish went
2 for 7 with a home run.
Sophomore right-hander Pat Bresnehan (2-2) allowed just one unearned run in a complete-game victory.
Solid starts by Bresnehan and Urquidez solved a potential problem for Murphy. ASU was forced to use six pitchers in Thursday's 9-8 loss to USC when Zinicola was pulled in the second after being hit on the right foot with a line drive.
Junior left-hander Erik Averill, Friday's scheduled starter, entered the game, and was followed by Bordes and relievers Seth Garrison, Tony Barnette and Ty Marotz.
With Averill unavailable, Bresnehan was moved ahead to Friday and Urquidez was penciled in for Saturday. Bresnehan and Urquidez combined for 17 innings pitched the final two games.
Larish's pair of home runs in the series gives him seven over the last nine games. Larish has 40 career home runs, tied for the fifth-most in school history with former Sun Devil Andrew Beinbrink. Larish also topped the 200-RBI mark Saturday.
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
