June 17, 2007

ASU's power display sizzles
The Sun Devils hit three home runs and defeat Cal-Irvine 5-4; Oregon State wins the nightcap.
By Eric Olson

The Associated Press

Omaha - Arizona State's Ike Davis was expecting a fastball. He got a changeup - and sent it 10 rows up in the right-field bleachers.

Davis hit a tie-breaking home run leading off the bottom of the eighth inning Saturday to give the Sun Devils a 5-4 victory over Cal-Irvine in the College World Series.

"That last one by Davis, I threw probably one of the best changeups I had thrown all day, and he was sitting on it," Anteaters pitcher Scott Gorgen said. "I have no doubt in my mind that he knew that pitch was coming."

Well, Ike?

"No. I was sitting on a fastball," Davis said. "He left the changeup over the middle."

The Sun Devils (49-13) advanced to a Monday game against Oregon State, which beat Cal State Fullerton 3-2. Cal-Irvine (45-16-1), a first-time CWS participant, will play Fullerton in an elimination game Monday.

The Sun Devils got solid pitching from Mike Leake and Jason Jarvis. Leake settled down after giving up four runs in the fourth inning. He and Jarvis (2-2) held the Anteaters scoreless in the last five innings. Jarvis, who took over in the eighth, allowed one walk and struck out three.

"Our pitching staff is pretty underrated," ASU coach Pat Murphy said.

Arizona State's pitching is overshadowed by an offense that came in with 75 home runs in 61 games.

As usual, the Sun Devils relied on their power to win the first game of the school's 20th CWS, scoring all their runs on long balls. Matt Spencer hit a three-run homer in the second and C.J. Retherford had a solo homer in the fifth.

Davis' eighth homer of the season ended the day for Gorgen (12-3), who was bidding for his fifth straight complete game.

"They were able to lift some balls over the fence and we weren't," Cal-Irvine coach Dave Serrano said. "That's kind of their M.O. as a team. Their guys got some pitches to hit, and we paid for it."

Cal-Irvine 000 400 000 - 4 6 2

Arizona State 030 010 01x - 5 9 0

Gorgen, Calahan (8), Axelrod (8) and Lowenstein; Leake, Jarvis (8) and Paramore. W - Jarvis 2-2. L - Gorgen 12-3.

HRs - Arizona State, Retherford (4), I. Davis (8), Spencer (9).

OREGON STATE 3, CAL STATE FULLERTON 2: Scott Santschi hit his first homer of the season and had two RBIs in defending champion Oregon State's victory.

OSU pitchers Jorge Reyes, Joe Paterson and Eddie Kunz combined to allow six hits as the Beavers (45-18) began their bid to become the first repeat champion since LSU in 1996-97.

Wes Roemer struck out seven for Fullerton (38-24) to become the school's career leader. Otherwise, it was another disappointing CWS start for the Arizona Diamondbacks' first-round draft pick.

Mike Lissman homered in the first inning and Santschi singled in a run in the second to put the Beavers up 2-0.

Roemer retired the next 13 batters in a row and 15-of-17 before Santschi homered to right in the seventh to make it 3-1.

Reyes (6-3) allowed three hits and one run in six innings before giving way to Paterson to start the seventh. Kunz earned his 12th save.

Oregon State 110 000 100 - 3 7 1

Cal St. Full. 001 000 010 - 2 6 1

Reyes, Paterson (7), Kunz (9) and Canham; Roemer, Harris (9) and Curtis. W - Reyes 6-3. L - Roemer 11-7. Sv - Kunz (12). HRs - Oregon State, Lissman (9), Santschi (1). Cal State Fullerton, Mahin (10).