ASU Baseball: Sun Devils dazzle in season opening 10-1 win

ASU baseball began the 2019 season in dominant fashion defeating Notre Dame 10-1 behind a stellar Opening Day start from pitcher Alec Marsh.

The Sun Devils got off to the start most teams could only dream of Friday night, as they drove in 10 and struck out 14 in a win over Notre Dame.

Alec Marsh looked like he didn’t miss a beat from last season, as he had his sixth quality start in seven games dating back to the end of the 2018 season.

The junior struck out ten while allowing just one run on four hits in 6.2 innings.

Sophomore Brady Corrigan and freshman Erik Tolman closed the game out, allowing one hit in 2.1 innings pitched.

“[Marsh] has earned the opportunity to pitch on Friday night and I thought that was pretty indicative of what he’s been doing all fall and carried it over into our early spring stuff,” head coach Tracy Smith said. “He’s shown maturity and he’s shown the progression. It was a wonderful performance to kick off the season so the other guys can see how to do it.”

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Offensively, the Devils caught fire early and showed great plate discipline.

After a two-out error by Notre Dame catcher Jack Alexander allowed Alika Williams to reach on a strikeout, Arizona State made the Irish regret it with two walks, an RBI double by Sam Ferri and a bases clearing three RBI double by Spencer Torkelson.

In total, the team walked eight times during their offensive onslaught.

“First game, some of most of the tendencies is to get out of yourself and start chasing pitches,” Torkelson said. “If we keep walking like that, we’ll keep making them pay.”

Sophomore catcher Sam Ferri played in his first game since 2017 after he missed the entire 2018 season due to injury, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

In his first at-bat back, he dropped an RBI double over the center fielders head to open up the scoring for the Sun Devils.

“It was definitely a big burden off my chest. I thought I was out. I hit it alright, but I thought [the center fielder] misplayed it and it ended up being a double over his head,” Ferri said.

With disappointing 2018 and 2017 seasons now behind them, Arizona State is looking to regain some of their luster that they had lost.

With an opening day win now under their belt, the Sun Devils are ready to start turning heads once again.

“They worked really hard to put themselves in a position to finally go out and lay it out on the field,” Smith said. “The only way you get back on track with your program is winning baseball games. More importantly to me though is how we play them, and we were solid in every aspect in the game.”

Next. ASU Baseball: Preview of the Sun Devils’ Infield in 2019. dark

The Devils will be right back at it Saturday night, as they take on lefty Cameron Brown during the second game of the three game set against the Fighting Irish at Phoenix Municipal Park.

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.

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