Michael Benjamin collected a career-high five RBIs and right-hander Trevor Williams became the first 10-game winner in the Pac-12 as the 19th-ranked Arizona State baseball team routed Gonzaga 10-1 on Saturday night.
The Sun Devils (31-17) hit a trio of home runs in the first three innings, including a three-run shot by Benjamin in the first frame, to jump out to an early eight-run lead. Benjamin finished 4 for 5 with the home run and three singles.
Williams (10-2) allowed one run on four hits and struck out six in seven innings. He issued no walks for the fifth straight game and has not walked a batter in 40 consecutive innings dating back to April 6 against Oregon State.
Right-hander Robert Ravago pitched a perfect eighth inning and left-hander Matt Dunbar loaded the bases with one out in the ninth before closing it out with a strikeout and a groundout.
ASU put up five runs on four hits in the first inning, bringing 11 batters to the plate in the frame. Joey DeMichele drove in the first run of the game on an RBI double that scored Deven Marrero from first, and James McDonald added an RBI single to bring around DeMichele two batters later. Benjamin followed with his three-run homer that plated Abe Ruiz, who had reached base on an error by the shortstop, and McDonald.
DeMichele and Ruiz led off the second inning with consecutive singles and both scored later in the frame on a fielder’s choice by Benjamin and an RBI single by Nathaniel Causey, respectively, to make it 7-0.
The Bulldogs (29-19) got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI fielder’s choice to score the leadoff hitter, who had reached on a single.
Andrew Aplin and Ruiz each hit a solo home run in the third inning to stretch ASU’s lead to 9-1.
Benjamin extended the Devils’ advantage to nine in the eighth inning when he picked up his fifth RBI of the game on a single.
Gonzaga starting left-hander Derek Callahan (3-2) did not escape the first inning and took his second loss of the season after conceding five runs, including two earned, on four hits in just 2/3 of an inning.
