The ASU baseball team started its season atop every major poll, matching every onlooker's expectations. And all the while, coach Pat Murphy said it was undeserved.
Reluctantly so, Murphy will say he was right all along. But at least his team is timely.
The No. 3 Sun Devils (30-4, 6-3 Pac-10) fought off a five-run deficit Sunday in the final inning of a three-game series with unranked Washington State (19-15, 3-6 Pac-10) to avoid losing a second-consecutive Pac-10 series.
ASU roared back to win 16-13 and took two of three games from the hosting Cougars.
Down 13-8 in the top of the ninth Sunday, home runs from junior Marcel Champagnie and senior Ryan Sontag drew the Sun Devils even before junior Ike Davis hit a three-run blast for the lead.
It was Davis' second home run of the game and his third on the weekend. He had seven RBIs on Sunday. For good measure, Davis pitched the game's final 2 2/3 innings to earn his fourth win this season.
But ASU also learned two things about its pitching in the Sunday finale — the search for a third dependable starting pitcher is ongoing, and the bullpen's success has tapered off with the start of Pac-10 play.
Junior Stephen Sauer got the nod but lasted just 1/3 of an inning while the usually reliable pair of redshirt senior Tommy Rafferty and junior Reyes Dorado combined to yield seven runs in relief.
Defense decides opener
Four errors committed by WSU jump-started ASU's offense Friday, as the Sun Devils scored nine runs (eight unearned) in the game's fourth inning. It's not as if their success was contingent on the miscues, however, as ASU's 15-3 victory was also sparked by 16 hits and 11 walks.
Junior third baseman Brett Wallace had four hits and scored twice in his return to the leadoff position.
The Sun Devils may finally have senior pitcher Josh Satow (4-1) on track. The lefty started Friday and allowed three runs over six innings of work.
ASU's three fielding errors proved costly Saturday, as WSU took advantage 10-4 in front of 3,313 in attendance — the largest home crowd since 1999. As a result, six of the eight runs sophomore starter Mike Leake (6-1) allowed were unearned.
Errors by Champagnie and junior Mike Jones prolonged Leake's stay on the mound, and WSU base runners crossed home plate four times after each miscue, in the third and seventh innings.
Champagnie, who now has 11 errors on the season, was immediately pinch hit for by junior utility man Mike Murphy.
Reach the reporter at: apentis@asu.edu.
