In the first game at Packard Stadium in six days, 2,641 college baseball fans were treated to stellar pitching, offensive power stretching to all fields, and a score of athletic defensive plays.
Unfortunately for visiting Brigham Young, all the superlatives belonged to No. 2 ASU, as the Sun Devils, showing no signs of rust from a weekend off, throttled the Cougars 14-0 to record their 40th win of the season.
“You could tell just when they showed up for stretch and [batting practice] that there was some energy there,” ASU coach Tim Esmay said of him team. “There was freshness to them, and they went out and played that way tonight.”
It was the fourth straight season and 31st time in program history that the team has recorded 40 wins.
Five ASU pitchers — junior Seth Blair, freshman Brady Rodgers, sophomore Mitchell Lambson, freshman Jake Barrett and sophomore Jordan Swagerty — combined to toss a three-hit shutout and sophomore Johnny Ruettiger drove in a career-high five runs on a pair of home runs to deep right.
Coming off a bye weekend, Esmay said he plans to use all three weekend starters during the two-game set against BYU, which wraps up Tuesday when the two teams square off at 6 p.m.
Normal Friday starter Blair started Monday's game and went three innings (38 pitches) while allowing just one hit.
“We needed to get Seth out there because he won't pitch again until Saturday,” Esmay said. “It's nice that we have a couple midweek games here so [the pitchers] could get out there in some game [situations].”
Sophomore Jake Borup and junior Merrill Kelly are expected to throw on Tuesday.
ASU (40-5) got on the board in the second, capitalizing on sophomore Riccio Torrez's leadoff walk with a pair of run-scoring singles by senior Raoul Torrez and junior Matt Newman.
The Sun Devils chased off BYU starting pitcher Chunner Nyberg in the third with a six-run outburst that saw 10 runners come to the plate. Sophomore Zack MacPhee plated sophomore Drew Maggi, who led off the inning with a double, on a groundout to first. After an RBI single by Riccio Torrez, Ruettiger belted a two-run blast onto Rural Road.
A throwing error on BYU third baseman Austin Hall allowed two more runs to score, capping the scoring barrage and giving ASU an 8-0 lead.
Blair was followed on the mound by Rodgers, who lowered his team-leading ERA (1.44 entering the contest) with three hitless innings. Rodgers, coming off an eight-inning, two-hit performance in a win over UA last week, struck out five of the nine hitters he faced, including a fanning of the side in the fifth.
ASU added a pair of runs in the fourth on run-scoring singles from the Torrez brothers and Ruettiger's second dinger of the night onto the Tempe streets capped off the scoring and a 13-hit night for the Sun Devils.
Ruettiger said it was the first time he hit two home runs in a game at any level.
“His tools and his athleticism, he's really starting to put it together,” Esmay said of Ruettiger.
Barrett and Swagerty each threw a perfect inning with both recording a pair of strikeouts.
The Sun Devils had a special guest in the crowd as Hall of Fame manager Tommy Lasorda was in the house to watch the action.
“It's Tommy Lasorda. It doesn't get any better than that,” Esmay said. “It's neat to know that he was in the house watching the Devils play, and that's always good for your program.”
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu
