Jeff Larish's two-run home run to right in the fifth inning proved to
be the difference as Arizona State evened up its NCAA Super Regional series
by holding off Cal State Fullerton for a 7-6 win at Goodwin Field on Saturday
afternoon.
The Titans, who saw their seven-game postseason winning
streak at Goodwin Field snapped, fell to 47-14 overall. Arizona State
improved to 54-13.
Larish, who was 2-for-4 with three RBI, led an offensive attack for Arizona
State, whhich saw its 3-4-5 hitters combine to go 7-for-12 with five runs
scored and five RBI.
Andre Ethier was 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of RBI while clean-up
hitter Jeremy West was 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
ASU jumped on Titans' starter Ryan Schreppel (5-3) scoring a pair of runs
in the first inning on a hard-hit infield single by Larish, scoring Nick
Walsh and Ethier when the throw to third sailed into the dugout.
The Sun Devils tacked on three more in the third on Ethier's 10th home
run of the year, a two-run shot to rightfield, and an RBI single back
up the middle by Dennis Wyrick for the 5-0 advantage.
Cal State Fullerton finally got to starter Ben Thurmond (8-0) in the fifth
inning, as Shane Costa had an RBI double and a run-scoring single to right
by Richie Burgos, who was 2-for-4 on the day, cutting the deficit to 5-2.
Larish's 18th home run of the year in the fifth upped Arizona State's
lead to 7-2, setting the stage for Cal State Fullerton's rally.
Freshman Danny Dorn led off the sixth with a single and moved to third
on a single by Jason Corapci that was mishandled by the leftfielder. That
brought up pinch hitter Justin Smyres, who promptly tripled to right centerfield,
scoring both runners and cutting the gap to 7-4. Ronnie Prettyman added
a sacrifice fly after a pitching change to make it 7-5.
The Titans continued to chip away, adding another run in the seventh on
Burgos' fourth home run of the season cutting the lead to 7-6.
ASU ace closer Ryan Schroyer then came on two batters later and stymied
the Titan bats, setting down the final seven Fullerton batters in order,
earning his ninth save of the year.
Schreppel gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits in the loss before
giving way to reliever Travis Ingle in the fourth. Darric Merrell also
pitched well in relief for the Titans, throwing 3 1/3 innings of four-hit
baseball.
Thurmond allowed just a pair of runs on eight hits in the victory for
the Sun Devils.
Four Titans had two hits led by senior Jason Corapci, who was 2-for-3.
Burgos, Costa and Kurt Suzuki each added two hits.
Arizona State and Cal State Fullerton will meet on Sunday afternoon at
12:05 p.m. in the rubber game of the series to determine who will advance
to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The game will be televised
nationally on ESPN2.
POST-GAME QUOTES George Horton (Cal State Fullerton Head Coach)… "This was a good game for both teams and I am very disappointed
in the way that we played, but you can take nothing away from a good Arizona
State team. Our team did not play well early and when our bats did come
alive, it was a little too late. I have to tip my hat to (Ryan) Schroyer
and the way that he pitched and we hit the ball a lot harder off him than
I had expected, but their team made some great defensive plays that keep
us from scoring."
On the ASU fans…
"Having so many people travel from Tempe was good for them and I
thought that we might respond a little better to the amount of noise that
they made. Hearing all the ASU fans rally behind their team might have
had an effect on our guys, but we did not take that as a challenge and
when we did begin to come alive, the timing was too late."
Cal State Fullerton First Baseman Richie Burgos… "I felt a lot of momentum from us once we started getting the
bats going, but their defense was good and their pitching was outstanding."
On his solo home run…
"I went up their relaxed and knew the scouting report on the pitcher
and expected a fastball. When I saw the fastball, it was easy to pick
up and I got the good part of the bat on the ball and drove it over the
right field fence."
Cal State Fullerton Outfielder Shane Costa… "(Ben) Thurmond for ASU mixed things up well and we had opportunities,
but could not get the clutch hits off him when we needed them."
On tomorrow’s game…
"This team has to do the same things that they have done all year
to get us to this point. We have to have positive imagery, not get too
excited, play hard and do the good things that will help us win."
Cal State Fullerton InfielderJason Corapci… "We hit the ball hard all day and anything could have happened
if some of those hits were able to find open field."
On 1st inning error…
"Once I stopped the ball, I knew that there was no chance to get
the runner at 1st, but saw the guy on 3rd slip and once I threw the ball,
I knew that Ronnie (Prettyman) was not looking and I attempted to yell
out his name but it was too late. All in all, there was no communication
on the play and things just did not go our way today."
Pat Murphy (Arizona State Head Coach)… "This was great ball game and both teams did good things. (Ben)
Thurmond is big game pitcher and the reason that we took him out in the
5th was due to a blister that had opened and we could not get it shut.
He gave up hits, but was able to make big pitches when needed.
On tomorrow’s game…
"Our goal all year has been to win a national title and it is going
to take a team effort in order to do that. I think that everyone will
be ready to go tomorrow because they know that this is a do or die situation."
ASU Outfielder Andre Ethier… "Our hitting gave our offense a lot of confidence and each batter
knew that they could go out there and produce because they saw what the
person in front of them was doing."
On tomorrow’s game…
"Tomorrow is going to be a battle and neither team is going to lay
over and let the other team walk away with the win."
ASU First Baseman Jeff Larish... On his two-run homerun…
"I was looking for a ball up and I am happy that I was able to produce
and help this team earn a big win in a pressure situation."
On ASU fans…
"Everyone that came from Tempe and supported us gave this team a
huge boost and this entire team appreciates everything that they put into
this game and hopefully tomorrow they will do the same thing."
ASU Closer Ryan Schroyer "Everyone on the field helped me out
when I needed it, and I appreciate that tremendously. I was very pumped
up coming into the game because I knew that the defense behind me could
get the job done as long as I did my job on the mound. We knew that we
had our backs against the wall and this was a must win time and we are
going into tomorrow’s game with the same mindset."
