Arizona State met old Pac-12 foe USC on Tuesday night after taking two of three at TCU last weekend to move up to 31st in the RPI rankings. The two teams have a historic rivalry filled with memorable moments, and ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist had a fair share of those in his playing days back in the late 90s.
This was the first nonconference matchup between the two teams, and a 2-2 game after four innings hinted at a defensive battle. USC (12-8, 2-4 Big 10) scored a pair of runs in both the fifth and seventh to take a 6-2 lead, and they held off the Sun Devils (14-7, 2-1 Big 12) to walk away with a 6-3 win.
“Obviously, a disappointing night for the bats,” Bloomquist said. “We did enough to stay in the game on the pitching front, but the offensive performance was very lackluster and not intense the way we wanted it to be. Some guys’ bats were okay, but there was way too much inconsistency to put any type of rallies together. I was executing a lot better.”
ASU put up a combined 40 runs last weekend against TCU, but the bats slowed down against the Trojans. The Sun Devils were able to string eight hits in the game, but they left five runners on base and were just 5-14 with runners on.
On paper, the bats put together a forgettable performance, but a handful of great defensive plays combined with some bad luck resulted in hard-hit balls straight to the defense.
Junior infielder Kyle Walker is a prime example of sticking with it. Through the first few series of the year, he hit under .200 but was making solid contact in the box. This past weekend, Walker went 6-for-13 with 3 RBIs and has bumped his average up to .288 coming into Tuesday. His aggressiveness at the plate and positive attitude allowed him to continue making contact, but the results became better over time.
“Several guys in the lineup right now are being too passive and letting the fight be taken to them versus the other way around,” Bloomquist explained. “We’ll never get on a consistent offensive roll if we don’t have the same mindset and stick to our approach. Some days we’re outstanding, but that sense of urgency wasn’t there today that I wanted to see.”
Sophomore righty Wyatt Halvorson got the starting nod on the mound today, his first start of the year. He walked the first two batters of the evening but got out of the inning with a double play and a strikeout. After giving up a leadoff single and two-out triple in the second as USC took a 1-0 lead, Bloomquist pulled him and went with another sophomore righty in Josh Butler, who gave up three runs in 2 ⅓ innings, ending up with the loss on the stat sheet.
Halvorson missed a few weeks due to an illness and is still getting his strength back, but he will likely be a key piece in the bullpen and could see a few more midweek starts as he continues to nurse himself back to 100%.
“We’re still trying to build him back up,” Bloomquist stated. “He got himself into some trouble today with a couple of leadoff walks, but he made a big-time pitch to force the double play. He wasn’t as sharp as he wanted to be, but he battled and gave us a couple innings. Today was a step in the right direction, but it could have gotten ugly after those walks.”
Junior right fielder Kien Vu missed his third straight game and was seen in a walking boot during Tuesday’s game. Vu played Friday against TCU but was taken out after being hit by a pitch, and also played through a lower-body injury last week against Arizona. Vu’s impact on the game is a huge void to fill, but Bloomquist would rather use his depth over rushing Vu back.
“Kien is much better than he was this weekend,” Bloomquist voiced. “We still have to get him back and fully healthy, though. I don’t want him dealing with this all year long and limping around; that just takes away a big part of his game. He’s made some nice progress the past couple of days, but I’m still not comfortable putting him out there and potentially re-aggravating that thing.”
The middle infield of sophomore Jax Ryan, Walker, and senior Matt King all played tonight with King as a designated hitter, and the trio has swung the bat fairly well. With all three playing so well, Bloomquist’s decisions on the lineup card become a little more difficult. The players performing so well allow them to engage in friendly competition to challenge each other, helping their team immensely with their games rising to the occasion.
“They’ve done a great job,” Bloomquist acknowledged. “They’re continuing to stay sharp, and I’ve been able to interchange them and keep them healthy. These guys are getting their opportunities, and we may have to push them around to different positions so we can continue that competition and make sure nobody gets complacent.”
ASU will look to bounce back this weekend against Kansas, and the bats desperately need to get back on track. Kansas boasts a 3.89-team ERA. After starting the season 14-1, the Jayhawks have lost three of their last six games, but their offense is not to be taken lightly.
It can explode for a plethora of runs at any time, as it put up 29 runs against Minnesota just a few weeks ago, similar to ASU’s 26-run outburst last weekend at TCU. Bloomquist feels Arizona State didn’t play anywhere near its potential tonight, especially against a rival like the Trojans.
“These guys know what playing USC is supposed to mean,” Bloomquist professed. “I was expecting a little more tonight, to be perfectly honest. This still falls upon my shoulders, but nobody wants to beat USC as badly as I do. I was hoping to see a little bit more of that passion tonight, but now we have to turn the page and get ready for a tough Kansas team.”
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