(Tempe, AZ) – After sitting out Saturday night against Oregon State, Ike Davis returned to the Arizona State lineup on Sunday and was instrumental in ASU salvaging one game of the Pac-10 series. Despite a sore hamstring that slowed him throughout the afternoon, Ike started for the Sun Devils at first base and batted in the clean up position.
In his first plate appearance in the first inning, Ike threw his bat after a ball on the outside and struck out. But in the second inning a “mammoth blast” according to the voice of the Sun Devils Tim Healey, that ended up east of the stadium on Rural Road and then onto the Karsten Golf Course driving range scored three runs. On the offensive front Ike finished the day 1 for 3 with 3 runs, 3 RBI’s, 3 walks and 2 K’s.
At first base Ike was perfect and as the Sun Devils got into a jam in the top of the sixth inning, he moved to the pitchers mound. “Lights out” was how ASU head coach Pat Murphy described Ike’s relief performance until the ninth inning. A fly ball out to finish the sixth, and then a 1-2-3 seventh and eighth provided quite a contrast as Oregon State had over the weekend hit the ball all around Packard Stadium. In the ninth Ike ran into some trouble finishing off the Beaver’s, but on the mound I counted 47 pitches over 3.1 innings, with just 3 hits in the ninth and 3 runs, while striking out 5 and walking just 1.
