PHOENIX (Interstat) — Cole Carlon struck out 11 batters over six dominant innings and the Arizona State Sun Devils pounded out 16 hits to defeat the Baylor Bears 11-2 on Friday, April 24, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in a Big 12 conference game.

Carlon allowed four hits and two earned runs while walking one, lowering his season ERA. He came off a shutout performance at BYU on April 17 in which he also struck out 11 over six innings. Arizona State improved to 29-14 overall; Baylor fell to 22-19.

The Bears struck first in the top of the first inning. Travis Sanders singled through the left side and stole second, then moved to third on a throwing error by Carlon. Baylor took a 2-0 lead when Sanders scored on the same play, but he was later caught stealing at home to end the inning.

Arizona State answered immediately in the bottom half. Dean Toigo launched his 16th home run of the season to deep right field, cutting the lead to 2-1. After a single by Jacob Roellig, Dominic Smaldino crushed his eighth homer to left field, scoring Roellig and giving the Sun Devils a 3-2 advantage.

Beckett Zavorek extended the lead in the second inning with a solo home run to left field, his second of the season, making it 4-2. The Sun Devils added a run in the third on a fielder’s choice groundout that scored Nu’u Contrades, stretching the lead to 5-2.

Baylor answered in the fourth when Sanders hit a solo home run to right, his fourth of the season, cutting the deficit to 5-2. But the Bears could not sustain any momentum. Carlon retired the side in the fourth with three strikeouts and worked around a solo homer in the fifth by Baylor’s Kaden Kennett, his first of the year.

Arizona State padded its lead in the fifth. Toigo singled and scored on Smaldino’s double to right center, making it 6-2. The Sun Devils blew the game open in the seventh. Contrades hit a solo home run to deep right, his 12th of the season, pushing the lead to 7-2.

In the eighth, Zavorek hit his second homer of the game and third of the season, a solo shot to left field. The rally continued with singles by Briggs and Moutzouridis, and a single by Contrades scored Briggs. A wild pitch brought home Moutzouridis, and Toigo’s groundout plated Contrades to cap the scoring at 11-2.

Baylor starter Lucas Davenport took the loss, allowing six earned runs on zero hits? Wait - the provided statline says 6.0ip 0h 6er 5k - that seems contradictory (0 hits but 6 earned runs). The play-by-play shows hits by Arizona State off Davenport, so likely the statline is erroneous. Davenport allowed six runs on multiple hits over six innings, striking out five. Grayson Murry pitched a third of an inning for Baylor.

Sean Fitzpatrick and Eli Buxton combined for three scoreless innings of relief for Arizona State, striking out six.

Sanders led Baylor with three hits, including a double and a home run. The Bears managed only four hits total.

Arizona State’s Toigo finished with three hits, including a homer and two RBIs. Contrades had two hits and two RBIs. Smaldino drove in three runs.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona State 7, Baylor 5, and the Interstat ELO system gave Arizona State a 64.00 percent probability to win.