When the ASU baseball team started the beginning of the season slowly, every call and every break seemed to go against it. The Sun Devils refused to fret, saying that these types of things balance themselves out by the end of the year.
In their game against Oklahoma on Sunday at Packard Stadium, that statement held correct.
Tied at three in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior second baseman Joey Hooft hit a routine fly to center with two outs and the bases loaded. However, Oklahoma center fielder Jeff Scuderi lost the ball in the sun, letting three runs score en route to a 6-5 ASU victory in front of 3,375.
"We have had some breaks go against us [in the past], but they all do even out whether you believe so or not," ASU coach Pat Murphy said. "I feel bad for their kid, because I know that center field can be very tough."
Oklahoma battled back in the eighth, scoring two runs on a double by junior pinch hitter Kevin Smith to close within one. Smith was left stranded at second base, and senior right-hander Jason Urquidez shut the door in the ninth.
The victory completed a three-game sweep of the Sooners, the Sun Devils' first sweep of the year. It couldn't have come at a better time as the team prepares for USC and the start of Pac-10 play on Thursday.
ASU (16-12) found itself behind 3-1 early. After a solo home run by junior third baseman Travis Buck put ASU up 1-0 in the first, the Sooners pushed across three unanswered runs.
A solo homer by senior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch pulled the Sun Devils to within a run and they tied it up when Buck scored on a throwing error.
ASU had a golden chance to pull ahead in the sixth inning when it loaded the bases with no one out. But a strikeout, a fielder's choice and a fly out ended the threat.
The Sun Devils began the weekend by downing Oklahoma in dramatic fashion. After the teams battled to a tie game through eight innings, senior left fielder Jeff Larish hit his nation-leading 10th home run in the bottom of the ninth to give ASU a 5-4 win.
On Saturday, ASU scored three runs in the second inning, giving junior left-hander Erik Averill all the cushion he would need.
Averill gave up just one unearned run in nine innings of work for the Sun Devils. It was his third complete game this year.
Buck continued his torrid hitting over the weekend. He went a combined 7 for 13 in the three games. Buck's average is at .371, up from .246 a few weeks ago.
"At the beginning of the year I put too much pressure on trying to do it all myself," Buck said. "But lately I've just played my game and good things are starting to happen."
Reach the reporter at kyle.odegard@asu.edu.
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