Arizona State's junior Captain secured his 10th victory of the year Friday afternoon
Junior Righty wins his 10th game of the year
April 24, 2009
Berkley, CA – Junior right hander Mike Leake proved once again just how special he is, allowing only one Cal run over nine innings in a 3-1 Sun Devil victory over the Golden Bears at Evans Diamond. It was Leake’s seventh career complete game and third this season. With the win, Arizona State improves to 30-8 on the year, 14-2 in Pac-10 play. It is the 47th straight year, and 49th overall, in which the Sun Devils have won at least 30 games.
Leake allowed only five hits while striking out seven in the victory, which improved his record to 10-1. With the win, Leake becomes only the second player in Arizona State baseball history to win at least 10 games in three straight seasons. Eddie Bane, who went 40-4 from 1971 to 1973, is the only other Sun Devil to do it.
Jason Kipnis put the Devils on the board in the top of the first, sending his 12th homer of the year over the right centerfield fence for a 1-0 ASU lead. The Devils threatened to add more, loading the bases with one out, but Cal’s Erik Johnson induced a line drive double play by Johnny Ruettiger to end the threat.
ASU would strike again in the third to grab a 2-0 lead. Drew Maggi led the inning off with a walk, stole second, then moved to third on a Kipnis ground out. He came around on a Carlos Ramirez RBI single to left to make it 2-0. Cal would answer in the bottom of the third on a Chadd Krist leadoff homer to cut the lead to 2-1.
Carlos Ramirez would get the Devils on the board again in the eighth off of Johnson, adding a big insurance run in the close game. After Zack MacPhee led the inning off with a single, he was moved to second on a sac bunt by Maggi. After an intentional walk to Kipnis, Ramirez singled up the middle to bring home MacPhee and make it 3-1 Arizona State. The Sun Devils loaded the bases again, but for the second time in the game Cal got an inning ending double play to end the threat.
But Leake would make the two-run lead stand up, at one point retiring 14 straight Golden Bears from the fourth inning through the eighth. He allowed a leadoff single in the ninth, but then got Mark Canha to foul out to first base for the first out. Jeff Kobernus followed with a tapper back to the mound, which Leake turned in to a 1-4-3 double play to end the game and seal the win.
Carlos Ramirez was 2-3 on the day, driving in two runs. Jared McDonald also had two hits in a game that saw ASU collect eight total.
The Sun Devils and Golden Bears will meet again tomorrow afternoon in game two of the three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. from Evans Diamond in Berkeley.
