Spencer Van Scoyoc is just trying to find himself, both in the rotation and on the mound.

The freshman left-hander suffered through yet another erratic outing Friday afternoon as No. 2 Oregon State (16-1, 2-0 Pac-12) blew through Arizona State (9-9, 0-2 Pac-12) to clinch a series victory at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Van Scoyoc walked three or more batters for the fifth consecutive time to open the season, dishing a trio of free passes as he lasted just 4 1/3 innings. He was left on the hook for three runs – two earned – earning his first loss and decision of the season.

In his first taste of Pac-12 action, Van Scoyoc was rocked early. The Beavers were on the board before he could record an out, scoring on a double, walk and a single and adding another run on a double-play ball in the opening frame. Another run scored after a leadoff walk came all the way around in the third inning.

ASU head coach Tracy Smith said that Van Scoyoc’s lack of control on the mound in his short college career has been troubling.

“I judge by whether a guy is aggressive in the strike zone,” Smith said. “Up to this point in the season, clearly the command piece of it has been something that he needs to get better on. We’ve been living on the edge with him, if you will, with all the free passes. This league is too good.”

Much of the damage done against the talented left-hander was done early in the count. He threw first-pitch strikes to just nine of the 22 batters he faced, and allowed the leadoff runner to reach via a walk or base hit in four of the five innings he started.

Going deep into games has been a constant issue for Van Scoyoc, who has yet to advance past the fifth inning in his career.

“The age-old question: is it mindset or is it mechanics?” Smith said. “I think it’s a combination of both. I think you’ve got to be able to feel your mechanics and if you continue to miss in a spot, be able to feel your release point and make an adjustment in your delivery. That comes with experience.”

On the other side of the hill, Oregon State sophomore right-hander Bryce Fehmel was teaching a master class in command. He threw a first-pitch strike to all but nine of the 28 batters he faced, walking one and keeping a low pitch count as he became the second consecutive Oregon State pitcher to go eight innings against the Sun Devils.

“(Fehmel) was pitching ahead the entire time, and that’s a formula for winning,” Smith said. “What we’re doing now on the mound is a formula for losing.

“We’re making it very difficult to win, because when you’re behind in the count and you don’t put people away and you don’t execute, it makes it very difficult. I’m not very happy about what’s going on the bump right now.”

For all his struggles, there’s still promise with Van Scoyoc. The stuff is clearly present, and to his credit he has largely been able to overcome his wildness and keep his team in the thick of things. Even after Friday’s outing, his ERA sits at a solid 2.42.

The freshman just needs to find himself and put the whole thing together.

“Baseball has been around a long time,” Smith said. “If you continue to give people free bases, it eventually catches up with you. That’s the frustrating piece, because he’s good enough. Teams don’t hit him. The batting average against, the ERA – in spite of all the walks – is pretty good.”

Van Scoyoc is part of a Sun Devil pitching staff that has consistently floundered past the opening game of weekend series so far this season. Command is a staff-wide issue, as evidenced by the team’s six walks and several 3-ball counts on Friday.

It’s impacted the depth of the unit as a whole. Smith did not have a Saturday starter ready to announce for the series finale, as he continues to tinker with who he can trust to consistently throw strikes.

“It’s got to be quality. It’s just a lack of execution. I’m frustrated and angry about it just because we’re better than that. If you don’t execute, you’re going to find it very difficult to win. Are (the Beavers) a better baseball team right now than us? Yeah, now, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t beat them.”