The 20th-ranked Arizona State baseball team hit a pair of two-run homers while right-hander Brady Rodgers retired the final 16 batters he faced as the Sun Devils defeated Utah 5-3 on Friday night at Packard Stadium.
Rodgers (8-2) tied his season high with nine strikeouts in eight innings and allowed three runs and five hits, all in the first three innings, as he collected his eighth win of the season. He struck out the final batter of the third frame before throwing five consecutive perfect innings. He did not allow an extra-base hit and has allowed just nine in 91 2/3 innings this season.
Michael Benjamin and Max Rossiter each hit a two-run homer -- the second of the season for both -- and combined for six hits, four RBIs and three runs scored for the Sun Devils (27-17, 12-10).
Right-hander Jake Barrett recorded his eighth save of the season, highlighting his perfect ninth inning with a strikeout to end the game.
The Utes (12-31, 6-16) took an early two-run lead in the top of the second inning on three singles up the middle, but ASU responded with a two-run homer by Rossiter in the bottom half of the frame to tie it at 2-2. Utah regained the advantage 3-2 in the top of the third on an RBI single.
ASU put three runs on the board in the sixth inning behind an RBI double by Nathaniel Causey and a two-run homer by Benjamin to take a 5-3 lead. The Devils got all of their three hits in the frame with two outs, as Rossiter started the rally with a double before Causey and Benjamin delivered RBI hits.
Utah starting right-hander Brock Duke (2-4) went 7 1/3 innings and took the loss, giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out three.
The Sun Devils and Utes meet again at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in a game that will be webcast live by FOXSportsArizona.com.
