Sundays have not been kind to the ASU baseball team.
For the third straight weekend, weather wreaked havoc on a game for the No. 2 Sun Devils.
This time, a heavy downpour halted ASU’s tilt with Florida International in the top of the eighth inning.
Because the contest went past the required five innings, though, a 4-1 lead for the Sun Devils turned into a victory, pushing the squad’s record to 11-0 after it won all four games it played in the Coca-Cola Classic at Surprise Stadium.
The scattered patches of maroon-and-gold clad fans remaining in the stands applauded coach Tim Esmay’s team as it headed off the field, scurrying to find shelter from yet another Sunday storm, which included lightning that had begun to move into the area.
“FIU is by far one of the better teams we have faced this year,” Esmay said after the game. “For us, that was great opportunity.”
Sophomore Jake Borup moved his record to 3-0 after pitching five innings of six-hit ball with one run allowed.
FIU (8-2) struck first with an RBI single by sophomore Mark Martinez in top of the first inning after Borup walked the first two batters of the game.
ASU struck back in the bottom of the third on an RBI single by sophomore Drew Maggi that scored sophomore Jordan Swagerty, who doubled to lead off the inning.
The Sun Devils added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth on RBI singles from Maggi and sophomore Zach Wilson.
Swagerty, a utility player who started at catcher Sunday, led off the bottom of the sixth with a double down the right-field line and later scored on an RBI groundout by Maggi.
As the Sun Devils filled in the flash bulbs on the scoreboard on offense, sophomore reliever Mitchell Lambson shut down the Panthers’ comeback bid with near-flawless precision.
Lambson threw a perfect sixth and seventh inning with four strikeouts.
He gave up a single to start the top of the eighth before the game was called.
The tournament also featured ASU’s first win over a ranked opponent, a 6-4 comeback win over No. 10 Oregon State on Friday, and a 22-hit performance against UC Riverside on Saturday.
Esmay said that while there is nothing to complain about in terms of an unblemished record, he is most satisfied with how an abundance of players have made the most of their early season opportunities at playing time.
“We are getting exactly what I was looking for when this things started, and that was getting guys opportunities to play,” Esmay said. “I felt with the lineups we’ve put out there, everybody’s risen up and played well and done their jobs, so it’s a great thing to have.”
Extra bases
The Sun Devils had a chance to meet Hall-of-Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan before their game on Saturday.
Maggi was 9-for-15 with three doubles, a triple and six RBI during the four-game tournament.
Reach the reporter at nkosmide@asu.edu
