The wins keep coming for the No. 5 ASU baseball team, and every time it's a new face pushing the envelope to get the job done.
ASU head coach Pat Murphy mixed up the starting rotation to place different guys in different roles, and his decisions proved successful as the Sun Devils (17-1) swept through the Coca-Cola Classic in Surprise.
The three victories increased ASU's current winning streak to eight games.
Saturday against Oklahoma State (2-3), Murphy gave the nod to senior right hander Beau Vaughn, who responded by throwing five solid innings to earn a 7-3 victory in his first start as a Sun Devil.
Vaughn was erratic at times, throwing first pitch strikes to just eight of 21 hitters, but he battled to strike out eight while scattering five hits and allowing only one earned run.
His performance set the table for ASU, who blew the game wide open in the fifth inning when it tallied six runs. Sophomore shortstop Dustin Pedroia started things with a two-run triple that put the Sun Devils on top 2-1. The rally was capped when junior center fielder Rodney Allen singled home a pair as part of a two-for-three day. It was his first start in seven games.
The win came against one of the country's top hurlers in junior right hander Scott Baker. The 26th-rated college prospect, according to Baseball America, cruised for four innings until the Sun Devils chased him from the game with their big fifth inning.
Friday, it was senior Ben Thurmond who took to the mound against Gonzaga
(0-3) in his first start of the season, but usual Friday-night starter Mark Sopko stole the show. After Thurmond struggled through the first two innings, Sopko threw seven innings of three-hit baseball while striking out five. The sophomore's brilliant work allowed the Sun Devils to come from behind and grab an 8-4 win.
ASU trailed in the third, but a five-run inning, ignited by RBI singles from senior third baseman Dennis Wyrick, freshman outfielder Ryan Bosch and sophomore catcher Tuffy Gosewisch, erased a 4-1 deficit.
On Sunday, the Sun Devils used a pair of three-run blasts to propel them to a 9-4 non-conference victory over Oregon State (3-3). In the third inning, junior second baseman Steve Garrabrants delivered the first homerun. Then in the fifth, Allen continued his productive weekend with a bomb of his own to increase ASU's lead to 9-2.
Pedroia had another offensive outburst, collecting three hits including a solo homerun in the fifth. He was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Senior Jered Liebeck improved to 3-0 on the season, throwing five innings while allowing just three runs.
The Beavers managed to win two-of-three games in the tournament, while Oklahoma State downed Gonzaga for its only win and the Bulldogs lost all three contests.
The Sun Devils will try to continue their torrid start tonight at Packard Stadium, when they host Gonzaga at 7 p.m. ASU has a chance to equal its best start ever, 18-1 in 1978.
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
