Those choosing Packard Stadium over Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday night were delighted with their destination decision.
Junior ace Mike Leake, unlike his Sun Devil counterparts on the hardwood a few hundred yards away, did not disappoint.
The ASU baseball team (9-1, 0-0 Pac-10) defeated the winless Holy Cross Crusaders 15-0 in front of a relatively small crowd of 2,573.
“I thought Mike Leake was the story as he has been so many times,” ASU coach Pat Murphy said.
Having been just recently named Pac-10 Player of the Week, Leake nearly duplicated his most recent performance. Leake again proved one-hittable, this time over seven-innings, not only denying the Crusaders of home plate, but also of third base.
After allowing a walk and hitting a batter in the top of the first, Holy Cross’ furthest conquest against Leake was of first base and it was only accomplished once.
The glory for HC was short-lived as junior catcher Carlos Ramirez threw out the lone proceeding base runner attempting to steal.
Once the ASU bats started to connect, the biggest challenge for Leake was making the game a challenge.
“I get bored (when the score is lopsided),” Leake said.
Leake, who improved his record to 3-0 and his season era to 0.48, struck out ten batters to give him 27 in 21 innings of work on the year. More proof of his dominance: Leake opponents have hit under .050 and only four have reached on walks.
“I don’t really look at the stats. All you can do is control the pitches, you can’t control where they hit it or anything,” Leake said.
According to Murphy, Leake has been even better than last year. Murphy said Leake has had better control of his four pitches.
Leake believes his improved command can be attributed to a better between start regiment, which will allow him to maintain the torrid pace later in the year.
The in-control variable on the mound allowed the sporadic offense of the Sun Devils to awaken. ASU’s first run score came in the third when junior Jason Kipnis hit a sacrifice fly to score sophomore Matt Newman.
The floodgates opened in the fifth with four runs. Junior Raoul Torrez and Newman both hit singles and freshman Zack MacPhee followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position.
Kipnis knocked his second run of the night with a single to right and Zach Wilson hit in two more after a run had scored on steal and an errant throw to second.
The Sun Devils small-ball approach, with steals and sacrifices in the early innings turned into a mash-fest late.
Junior Carlos Ramirez nearly went yard in the sixth, instead hitting a 3-2 pitch to the fence near the foul pole in right scoring three runs. The deceptively quick catcher reached third on the play.
After four more in the seventh, freshman Jordan Swagerty added three in the eight blasting a fastball out of the yard to the opposite field in right-center.
ASU’s offense was both patient and potent as the team had a synchronistic 11 hits and 11 walks.
There was bad news on the night however. Starting senior shortstop Mike Murphy pulled up lame late in the game running out a single. The initial prognosis is a pulled groin.
Murphy also indicated that starting pitcher Seth Blair would miss at least one start with shoulder stiffness.
It would be the second injury to the rotation, as junior Josh Spence is week-to week with a mild concussion suffered after a line drive struck him in the face.
With questions of the rotation looming, the Sun Devils will play two more games this Friday and Saturday before going to Surprise to play Kansas and Kansas State in the Surprise Tournament.
Reach the reporter at nick.ruland@asu.edu.
