PHOENIX (Interstat) — Kole Klecker pitched six strong innings and Dominic Smaldino drove in three runs as Arizona State defeated Baylor 11-4 on Sunday evening at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in a Big 12 conference matchup.

The Sun Devils improved to 31-14 overall while the Bears dropped to 22-21.

Klecker, coming off a rough outing at BYU on April 18 in which he allowed six earned runs in two innings, rebounded with a dominant performance. He gave up four hits and two earned runs while striking out eight over six innings. Jaden Alba followed with three innings of relief, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out five.

Arizona State’s offense erupted for 15 hits, led by Smaldino who went 3 for 5 with a home run and three RBIs. Austen Roellig added a home run and two RBIs, finishing 2 for 5. Beckett Zavorek went 2 for 5 with an RBI and Brandon Briggs contributed a hit and an RBI.

Baylor managed only seven hits but got a standout game from first baseman Tyce Armstrong, who went 3 for 3 with two home runs and three RBIs. Armstrong homered in the second inning and again in the ninth, giving him 15 for the season. The Bears’ pitching struggled, with starter Ethan Calder allowing six earned runs in 4 2/3 innings. Caleb Bunch, Caldwell McFaddin and Luke McLeod also saw action.

The most important part of the game came in the bottom of the fifth inning. Baylor led 3-1 after Armstrong’s first homer and an RBI double by Hunter Kennett in the fourth. Arizona State tied the game on a sacrifice fly by Ethan Hairston in the third and then took control in the fifth. With one out, Roellig hit a two-run homer to deep right field, scoring Contrades to make it 5-3. Polk singled, Zavorek doubled him in, and Briggs singled to drive in Zavorek, pushing the lead to 7-3. The Sun Devils added three more in the sixth on Smaldino’s two-run single and a fielder’s choice, building a 10-3 advantage. Smaldino capped the scoring with a solo home run in the eighth.

Baylor mounted a small rally in the ninth. Janusek reached on an error by shortstop Moutzouridis, and Armstrong followed with his second homer of the game, cutting the deficit to 11-4. But Alba retired the next three batters to end the game.

The win gave Arizona State a sweep of the three-game series, following 4-2 and 11-2 victories on Friday and Saturday. The Sun Devils have won four of their last five games overall. Baylor has lost four straight and six of its last seven.

Arizona State grounded into two double plays but overcame that with its aggressive hitting. Baylor’s defensive miscues contributed to unearned runs, including a muffed throw by Armstrong in the first inning that allowed Hairston to score.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arizona State 6, Baylor 5, and the Interstat ELO system gave Arizona State a 64.80 percent probability to win.