It was an up-and-down weekend in H-Town for The No. 12 ASU baseball team.
The Sun Devils (3-0, 0-0) won their first game of the Houston College Classic against Texas A&M, 4-0, only to fall to No. 6 Vanderbilt the following day in extra innings, 7-6. ASU finished the weekend defeating Houston, 11-1.
All games were played at the Houston Astros' Minute Maid Park.
Texas A&M got to ASU pitcher Brian Flores early, scoring two runs in the first inning. Flores was in his second start as a Sun Devil.
Flores began the game walking A&M's Ben Feltner, who scored after Blake Stouffer batted him in with a double.
A balk and a wild pitch put players in scoring position again and Aggie first baseman Spencer Jackson capitalized with an RBI single.
ASU's big bats came right back at A&M starter Jason Meyer.
Sophomore second baseman Eric Sogard got the Sun Devils rolling with an RBI single to center to cut the lead to 2-1.
Junior left fielder Matt Spencer dismantled the Aggies' lead by continuing his hot streak of power hitting.
With sophomore catchers Kiel Roling and Petey Paramore on base, Spencer pulled a pitch from Meyer over the right field wall into the upper decks for a three-run home run and a 4-2 ASU lead.
Flores held things better until the fifth inning when ASU coach Pat Murphy replaced him with freshman right-hander Mike Leake.
Leake had a rocky start as well, walking A&M's Brandon Hicks and then throwing a wild pitch, but escaped the inning with a 4-4 tie.
Sophomore first baseman Brett Wallace took things into his own hands in the seventh inning, stealing the game-winning run at home plate.
For Leake, it was his first career win in his role as the team's closer.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils were blessed and burdened by sophomore right fielder and pitcher Ike Davis.
Davis doubled down the right field line to knock in Sogard in the first as a part of an early 3-0 Sun Devils' lead in the first inning.
ASU starting pitcher Joey Parigi hadn't earned a run until the third inning when Vandy's David Macias doubled to left, scoring Ryan Davis.
After the two teams battled to a tie in the ninth, the game got sent into extra innings.
In the bottom of the 10th, Davis threw the second pitch of what was to be an intentional walk of the Commodores' Brad French over Paramore's head. The mistake gave Vandy's pinch runner, Jonathan White, enough time to score the winning run from third base.
Host team Houston was the Sun Devils' opponent on Sunday.
Murphy said junior starting pitcher Josh Satow's first start against Southern Utah last weekend was "mediocre" and may have fueled his showing against the Cougars.
Satow won his second decision of the season, pitching a complete game against Houston while giving up only one run.
During the first inning things weren't in Satow's favor when the Cougars' Ryan Lormand doubled before eventually stealing third.
Instead of panicking, Satow struck out the next three batters, beginning his total of eight strikeouts on the night.
Satow's one earned run came on a solo home run by Houston's Bryan Pounds.
Reach the reporter at: devin.hicks@asu.edu.
