Junior closer Ryan Burr celebrates after striking out the final batter and getting the save against Long Beach State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Friday, March 6, 2015. The Sun Devils won 6-4. (Daniel Kwon/The State Press)ASU baseball fans got their first look at the team’s new rotation in a 6-4 win over Long Beach State Friday night.
Bouncing from a fourth inning hiccup, the Sun Devils (8-4) relied on a fifth-inning comeback to top the Dirtbags (8-5) and avenge last year’s 11-0 loss.
Junior center fielder Johnny Sewald beat out a dribbler down the third-base line on a check swing for an infield single to lead off the game, advancing to second on an overthrow to jump start ASU’s offense.
Sophomore shortstop Colby Woodmansee pounced on a curveball by Long Beach State redshirt senior right-hander Kyle Friedrichs, launching the ball off the top of the wall in left field for an RBI triple.
In the third inning, junior left fielder Jake Peevyhouse singled home Sewald for the second time to put the Sun Devils ahead 3-0.
The Sun Devils pounded Friedrichs for six runs on 13 hits, including three consecutive doubles from Woodmansee, junior designated hitter RJ Ybarra, and junior right fielder Trever Allen, which tacked on two runs to give ASU a 6-4 lead.
“You have to be able to handle the bat and control it in different situations,” said head coach Tracy Smith.
Making his first Friday night start, sophomore Seth Martinez picked up right where he left off in his impressive outing against Cal-State Baskersfield last Thursday, coming off a career-high nine strikeouts.
“I did have a little more jitters, but I was trying to keep it the same,” Martinez said. “Getting ahead with the fastball, and trying to get hitters to swing at the slider late in the count helped.”
After tossing three straight scoreless innings, Martinez allowed a bunt single to sophomore shortstop Garrett Hampson to start the fourth.
Following another Long Beach State single, a walk to freshman designated hitter Brock Lundquist loaded the bases, setting up a grand slam from catcher Eric Hutting on a first-pitch curveball that put the Dirtbags ahead 4-3.
“At the time, I knew that was the pitch that needed to happen,” Martinez said. “It didn’t come out right, I hung it a little bit, and he put a good swing at it.”
Martinez rebounded to finish his night with five innings pitched (four of them scoreless) and allowed four runs on four hits, walking two hitters and striking out seven.
“I thought, even though it was only 77 pitches, his fastball and his breaking ball was less effective,” Smith said. “It was more on what he was doing in his mechanics, and what the baseball was doing or not doing.”
Senior right-hander Darin Gillies relieved Martinez in the sixth and kept ASU’s lead intact for junior closer Ryan Burr, who mowed down the heart of the Long Beach State order for his fifth save of the season.
Additional notes:
– Sophomore catcher Brian Serven threw out his brother, Jonathan, at second base in the top of the seventh inning.
“I’ll probably say a little something about that,” Brian said. “It was a close play, but I’m glad he was out.”
– Junior third baseman Dalton DiNatale fractured his thumb while jamming it in an effort to maintain his balance during a drill in practice, and his timetable for returning is unknown. Smith said his condition is stable, and that he played through the Diamondbacks scrimmage with the injury.
– Freshman Ryan Lillard suffered a concussion after being hit by a pitch from Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Justin Marks, which was confirmed by doctors after undergoing tests following the scrimmage Tuesday, and will return when he passes concussion protocol.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or follow @StefanJModrich on Twitter.
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