ASU Baseball: Devils Take First Step, Beat UNLV
By Mike Slifer
Tuesday night, the ASU baseball team beat UNLV in Las Vegas by a score of 9-5. This was one of the two remaining non-conference games on the schedule for the Sun Devils.
Seth Martinez got the win, going six and two thirds innings, giving up 6 hits and five earned runs. Not the best outing, but not terrible either-considering the short week and the fact that UNLV is no slouch. The bullpen was perfect, closing out the game by allowing no runs.
Offensively, Drew Stankiewicz went 3-5 with 3 RBI’s. Trever Allen also had three hits and drove in a run. Tucker Esmay went 2-3 and scored three runs. Overall, it was a solid offensive game for ASU.
This game was step one for ASU. As Devils in Detail outlined on Tuesday, this Sun Devil squad realistically needs to win out the season to be a lock for post-season play. It’s probably not necessary to win every game, but doing so would make it impossible for the selection committee to overlook ASU.
That should be the goal for the Sun Devils; don’t give them a reason to exclude you. Win out. Show everybody that you are hot right now and that you are playing your best baseball. Kick the door down and announce your presence.
What’s left is a three game set with Utah in Tempe. This will be the final regular season series played at Packard Stadium. (ASU could possibly host playoff games) Next season, the Sun Devils will start playing at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. (Oakland A’s)
ASU needs to sweep that series, then beat Abilene Christian the following Tuesday. And of course, they need to sweep Washington State for the season ending series next weekend.
That may seem like a tall order, but it is quite do-able. If ASU wants to continue to be among the college baseball elite, they better do it.