PHOENIX – The New Mexico State baseball team began a four-game road swing in the Grand Canyon State taking on Arizona State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Wednesday night. Despite a three-run outburst from the Sun Devils in the seventh, the Aggies held on to a one-run lead and took down ASU 8-7.
 
On the mound to open the contest, NM State (27-14) sent out starter Justin Dehn to face off against Arizona State (17-23) southpaw Spencer van Scoyoc. Each pitcher made easy work in the first tossing a scoreless opening frame.
 
The Sun Devils then struck first in the bottom of the second. With a runner on and two outs, ASU saw a double to left center bring in the first run of the game to put NM Sate behind 1-0 through two.
 
This lead disappeared quickly when the Aggies got on the board in the next half inning. Nick Gonzales led off the top of the third with a double to right before Joey Ortiz brought him home in the next at-bat with a single up the middle that tied the ballgame up, 1-1. Trey Stine then gave the Aggies the lead with an RBI double to put the team ahead 2-1.
 
Still in the top of the third, NM State expanded their lead when Logan Ehnes laced a single through the right side to score the runner from second base. Two batters later, with the bases loaded, a base on balls brought in the final run of the frame to give the Aggies a 4-1 lead.
 
Arizona State was then able to answer in the bottom of the third. The Sun Devils loaded the bases with just one out and the second straight walk brought in ASU's first run. The next batter then popped up a single to shallow right field to bring in another run and keep the bases loaded. This was followed by a plunked batter to bring in the game-tying run and put the score at 4-4.
 
In the top of the fourth, Ortiz led off with an infield single and then a fielding error by the Sun Devil first baseman got Logan Bottrell on base to put runners on the corners with no outs. ASU then went to the bullpen looking to escape the jam. The Sun Devils looked to be in a good spot when a fly out to right recorded the second out of the inning with no runs scored. However, on this play, an error on the throw to third looking to catch Ortiz sleeping saw the sophomore advance home to put the Aggies up 5-4.
 
Following a scoreless fourth inning for the Sun Devils, the Aggie bats got back to work in the fifth. The scoring opened when Ortiz stepped to the dish with the bases juiced and knocked an RBI single through the left side and the bases remained loaded with just one out in the inning. ASU again went to the pen to avoid further damage, but Logan Bottrell floated a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home another run. Trey Stine then capped off the inning with an infield single that brought in one more and put the Crimson & White ahead 8-4.
 
After each side threw a pair of scoreless innings, the Aggies lead shrank in the seventh. Following a leadoff double, a single up the middle brought in the Sun Devils first run of the frame. The next batter, Hunter Jump, then roped a triple to right field that brought in the man from second. The scoring closed with a sacrifice fly that gave ASU its third run of the frame and put the NM State lead at just one run, 8-7.
 
Matthew Perea and Brock Whittlesey then split the workload and were able to hold the Sun Devils scoreless over the final two innings and Whittlesey secured the 8-7 win with a punch out to finish the game. This was NM State's first win over ASU since 2002 and first ever win over the Sun Devils in Phoenix.
 
At night's end, the Aggies tallied 11 hits and were led by Joey Ortiz who went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Perea got the win after throwing two scoreless frames and Whittlesey earned his sixth save of the season.
 
New Mexico State now remains on the road with a crucial weekend series against Wetsern Athletic Conference foe Grand Canyon, April 27-29.