Arizona State completes 3-game series sweep of Gonzaga with 11-4 rout

Arizona State busted out the bats and brooms Sunday afternoon, completing a three-game sweep of Gonzaga with an 11-4 victory at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Kien Vu went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double and two RBIs; Landon Hairston was 2-for-3 with two RBIs; and Jacob Tobias, Isaiah Jackson and Jax Ryan all went 2-for-4 with two RBIs as the Sun Devils notched double-figure runs for the fourth time this season.

It was the sixth home run of the season and the fourth this week for Vu, a junior from San Diego who homered twice in ASU's 7-0 victory over UNLV on Tuesday and again Friday in the 11-1 series-opening win over Gonzaga.

Right-hander Lucas Kelly (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, allowing just two hits and striking out three to earn the win as ASU improved to 12-4 and earned its second three-game series sweep this season. The Sun Devils opened the season with a 3-0 sweep of Ohio State in Phoenix.

It was the seventh consecutive loss for Gonzaga (2-11), which hit just .194 (6-of-31) to ASU's .382 (13-of-34).

Rohan Lettow made his second start in Sunday's series finale and turned in his strongest performance of his four appearances this season. The sophomore right-hander from Chandler, Arizona, tossed three shutout innings, giving up just one hit while striking out one and walking two.

Scoring summary

Arizona State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Vu and Hairston drew walks to open the game, and both moved into scoring position on a double steal.

Vu scored the game's first run on a sacrifice fly from Tobias, and Hairston later crossed the plate on a single up the middle from Jackson.

Ryan later delivered a two-out double to the wall in left field to bring home Nu'u Contrades, who previously reached base on a walk.

Kyle Walker was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the second inning, and Vu followed with a double to right field keep the offensive pressure on.

That ended the day for Gonzaga starter Justin Feld, who was charged with five runs — all earned — on three hits with three walks and one strikeout in just one complete inning.

Hairston welcomed right-hander Erik Hoffberg to the mound with a single into right field, scoring Vu and Walker and extending the Sun Devils' lead to 5-0.

Left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick relieved Lettow to open the fourth and gave up a lead-off single to Tommy Eisenstat and a walk to Vincent Temesvary before striking out the next two batters.

Max Coupe followed with a pinch-hit, two-out single to bring home Eisenstat for the Bulldogs' first run of the game. Rece Schuerman then blasted a wind-assisted, three-run home run down the right field line — the first homer of his collegiate career — to trim ASU's lead to 5-4 before Fitzpatrick notched his third strikeout to end the inning.

The Bulldogs' big fourth inning ended the day for Fitzpatrick, who allowed four earned runs on three hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

Arizona State responded with a two-run fifth inning, getting a double from Brandon Compton, singles from Hairston and Tobias, and a Gonzaga fielding error to push the lead to 7-4.

Arizona State added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, getting a one-out single from Tobias, a two-out RBI double from Jackson, and an RBI single from Ryan to extend the lead to 9-4.

Walker led off the bottom of the eighth with a single up the middle, and Vu followed with a two-run home run that just cleared the wall in center field to give the Sun Devils a seven-run lead at 11-4.

Right-handers Wyatt Halverson and Eli Buxton closed out the game with a combined three scoreless innings, with Halverson, a sophomore, striking out three, and Buxton, a freshman, fanning one.

ASU pitchers combined to strike out 11 batters Sunday.

Up next

Arizona State returns to action at 6 p.m. MST Tuesday against in-state rival Arizona (11-4) at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona.

The Sun Devils then travel to Fort Worth, Texas, for a three-game series against TCU (12-4) on Friday-Sunday at Lupton Stadium.