Arizona State's Eight-Run First Inning Powers No. 22 Sun Devils Past New Mexico State 10-4

PHOENIX — New Mexico State got the first punch on Wednesday night. Arizona State answered with eight of them. Steve Solorzano led off the game with a home run for the Aggies, and No. 22 Arizona State responded by sending 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first, scoring eight runs on its way to a 10-4 midweek win at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The Sun Devils improved to 19-6 and are now 6-1 in midweek games this season, according to ASU. New Mexico State fell to 11-13. The Aggies actually outscored ASU 3-2 over the final eight innings, but the first inning made that a footnote.

Twelve Batters, Eight Runs

Landon Hairston started it with a walk and PJ Moutzouridis singled up the middle. After Austen Roellig was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Dean Toigo doubled down the left-field line to give ASU a 2-1 lead.

Then came the loudest swing of the night. Nu'u Contrades, back in the starting lineup for the first time since March 8 after nearly three weeks out with a hamstring injury, crushed a three-run homer to deep left-center that ASU listed at 455 feet. Dominic Smaldino singled and stole second, Coen Niclai singled him home, Hairston singled again and Moutzouridis tripled to right-center to drive in two more. By the time Roellig flew out to end the inning, it was 8-1.

It was ASU's highest-scoring inning of the season. The Sun Devils went 7-for-14 with two outs in the game, according to the school, while New Mexico State went 1-for-10.

Fast starts have become a habit. According to ASU, the Sun Devils have outscored opponents 75-36 in the first inning this season, including 13 first-inning runs over their last four games, and they have reached double-digit runs 11 times through 25 games. Moutzouridis recorded the 22nd multi-hit, multi-RBI game of his career, and Toigo has driven in at least one run in 10 of his last 12 games.

"This team is awesome," Contrades said, per ASU's postgame notes. "We're a tight knit group." Coach Willie Bloomquist said Contrades was on a limited, gradual return and is "not a lazy player."

Fifteen Strikeouts

The ASU pitching staff did the rest. Starter Colin Linder struck out six over three innings, with the leadoff homer and a third-inning run, scored after an error and a two-out single by Boston Vest, the only damage against him. Josh Butler followed with two scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out five, and earned the win to improve to 3-0. "Momentum is huge," Butler said.

Sun Devil pitchers finished with 15 strikeouts, the fourth time this season they have reached 15, according to ASU. New Mexico State came in hitting .308 as a team and averaging 8.7 runs per game, but managed six hits.

The middle of the Aggies' order went 2-for-11 with seven strikeouts, according to ASU, and New Mexico State recorded just one groundout all night, the double play freshman Austin Musso induced in the sixth. On the other side, the Aggies used eight pitchers trying to slow the Sun Devils down after the first.

Garrett Michel doubled to left in the sixth to score pinch-runner Beckett Zavorek, who had replaced Contrades, and make it 9-2. The Aggies made it interesting in the seventh, when Noah Massey singled, scored on back-to-back throwing errors after a Camden Kaufman bunt, and Kaufman came home on a Solorzano RBI single to make it 9-4. Colby Guy entered and got three straight outs, two on strikeouts, to end the threat.

Hairston Adds On

Hairston answered in the bottom of the seventh with a solo homer to deep left, his 11th of the season, to make it 10-4. He reached base four times with two hits and two walks and scored three runs. "He's a special kid, a special player," Bloomquist said. Hairston described his approach simply: "just looking for a good pitch to hit every at bat."

Finn Edwards and Eli Buxton each worked a scoreless inning to close it. Solorzano, who homered for the fourth time in six games according to New Mexico State, finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

Bloomquist was pleased with the result but not all of the details. ASU committed three errors. "Good enough to get a W, which was great," he said. "We're making some mental mistakes that I'm not really wild about."

Up Next

Arizona State opens a three-game series against No. 17 West Virginia at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Friday at 6:35 p.m. MST. New Mexico State heads to Middle Tennessee for a Friday game.

Photo Credit: David Venezia/Undrafted