No. 12 ASU baseball (30-8, 12-6 Pac-12) snagged back-to-back wins against the Utah Utes (12-21, 4-14) in this past weekend series.
Despite dropping in the USA Today Coaches Poll the previous week, ASU still maintains an overall winning percentage just below .800 and a conference winning percentage just below .700.
And to make matters even better, the Sun Devils have won three of their last five games, including the two wins against Utah.
Game 1
Junior infielder Carter Aldrete remained quiet throughout the game, but in a 4-4 bottom of the 11th, Aldrete's over-the-shoulder diving catch saved the game in enough time for the Sun Devils to blast an 11-6 win in the 12th inning over the Utes on Thursday.
Aldrete ended the night hitting 4-for-6, while freshman right-hander Blake Burzell notched his second win of the season. Through 2.1 innings, he allowed a hit, two walks and all while striking out two batters.
Meanwhile, the Sun Devils junior starting pitcher Alec Marsh hung on through 7.0 solid innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Game 2
ASU allowed the Utes to get ahead early in the second matchup, but the Sun Devils would eventually tie it in the fourth. The team added insurance runs in the sixth and won 8-5 on Friday.
Sophomore right-hander Boyd Vander Kooi was lights out, not only pitching his first complete game, but earning his team the series.
While the Utes held onto a 4-1 lead through three complete innings, the Sun Devils quickly tied it up in the fourth with sophomore Gage Workman's double, sophomore Drew Swift's single and sophomore Trevor Hauver's single to center field.
Game 3
On Saturday, the Utes took a 4-0 lead on Erick Migueles' three-run home run and Issac Deveaux's RBI single, and the team ran with it in a 6-3 win over the Sun Devils.
Utes' starter, senior Joshua Tedeschi allowed two runs on seven hits through 7.1 solid innings.
In the seventh, Swift drove in a pair of runs on a fielder's choice play, but the stage was ultimately set in the eighth when Migueles went yard for the second time, extending the lead to 6-2.
The Sun Devils answered with a run in the ninth, but the Utes' pitching was there to shut it down.
ASU will return to Phoenix Muni on Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. MST for its midweek game against University of Nevada, Las Vegas (23-18).
Reach the reporter at Edith.Noriega@asu.edu or follow @Noriega_Edith on Twitter.
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