By Matt Tresaugue

Arizona Daily Wildcat

TEMPE _ After Steve Arffa dominated Arizona State Friday night in an 8-2 win, the UA baseball team finally appeared to be headed in the right direction.

It took less than 48 hours, however, for the Wildcats to revert back to typical form.

The Sun Devils, behind All-American Antone Williamson's first two-home run game, capitalized on Arizona's poor defense and bashed out 19 hits en route to a 15-4 win at Packard Stadium here yesterday.

Arffa's win had given the Wildcats a high they hadn't yet experienced this season. There was finally a feeling that the team could win. And although Arizona lost 4-2 on Saturday, the positive feeling remained. It didn't last through the weekend.

UA starting pitcher Ben White stood shaking his head after the game, unable to understand the collapse.

"It hurts a lot," said White (2-6), who took the loss after allowing nine runs in 3 innings. "It was as if the wheels fell off the bus. We had pulled out of the station, then the wheels fell off and we crashed."

For three innings, White pitched well enough to win. After walking Todd Cady to open the fourth, White, who gave himself a 2-1 lead by hitting an RBI double in the top of the inning, retired Scott Shores for his fifth strikeout. White would not record another out.

Second baseman Scott Kidd made errors on the next two plays. Add seven consecutive hits, including a three-run blast by Williamson that cleared the stadium's second wall in right-center field, and the Sun Devils were suddenly ahead 9-2.

Instantly, Arffa's 12-strikeout performance became a faint memory.

"I thought I was really in a zone today," said White, who was victimized by poor defense for the fourth consecutive start. "I had a good feeling, but bad luck.

"If the plays were made, we are out of the (fourth) inning without giving up a run," said UA coach Jerry Kindall, his team falling to 7-31 (3-13 in the Six-Pac) with the loss. "We had a positive feeling about today, but mental mistakes were our downfall again. We'll have to repair."

ASU right-hander Kaipo Spenser (7-0) picked up his third win this season against Arizona after pitching six-plus innings and allowing three runs. Read Next Article