Arizona State scored five runs in the sixth inning to take a commanding 8-2 lead, but the bullpen struggles that cost ASU the first two games nearly broke down a third time.

Minnesota hit four home runs in five at-bats, and ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist couldn’t find a way to stop the bleeding. Junior lefty Sean Fitzpatrick came in after sophomore righty Rohan Lettow gave up two homers to start the seventh inning, but the calm and collected veteran watched two more balls fly over the outfield wall.

Bloomquist finally found his answer in sophomore righty Josh Butler, who shut down the bats and pitched into the ninth before giving up a run. Another sophomore righty, Derek Schaefer, came in to secure the 8-7 win for the Sun Devils (8-4) over Minnesota (4-5), dodging the reverse sweep from the Golden Gophers.

“Minnesota is a team that doesn’t give in,” Bloomquist said. “We had a chance to win all three games, and they kept coming after us. They almost got this one, but the positive for us is that we were able to bounce back and hold on today. That’s the positive, but the overall take is we got a lot to work on.”

The bullpen encountered numerous challenges throughout the first 11 games and experienced more today. With so many new arms that Bloomquist has to evaluate in such short doses, he’s still trying to find who he can count on and to what extent. The Sun Devils faced some powerful bats in nonconference play, giving Bloomquist a good idea of the level of competition he’ll face in the Big 12.

“We’re finding out who can come in at big moments and get things done,” Bloomquist pronounced. “We understand that we have to get better, and we have enough firepower in that bullpen to be really good. We just have to define some roles and figure out what they’re good at. For us coaches, we have to put them in the right situations where we can be successful.”

Schaefer has been a guy Bloomquist can count on to get swings and misses. Today, he struck out both batters he faced, bringing his season total to eight in 6 ⅔ innings. Schaefer, who grew up in Cave Creek, Arizona, elected to commit to Tennessee his freshman year.

Bloomquist didn’t burn that bridge, though, and Schaefer came calling once he hit the transfer portal and eventually decided to come back home. Now playing his first year in the maroon and gold, he’s become a vital piece in the bullpen that could be a top selection for midweek starts.

“Derek is a great kid,” Bloomquist noted. “It stung a bit when we left to go to Tennessee, but you never know when they’re going to want to come back home. Once he gave us the call that he went in the portal, we took him in with open arms. He serves a lot of roles for us, and we had intentions to start him on Tuesday, but he only threw 11 pitches, so we’ll see how he’s feeling.”

In the fifth, ASU led 2-1 in a tight game with both pitching staffs on their game up to that point, and Zavorek laid down a perfect bunt and proceeded to steal second. With Minnesota lefty Justin Thorsteinson trying to pick off Zavorek a couple of times, one of his throws bounced off the glove of the second baseman and into shallow left field. The ball landed in an awkward spot between three Gophers, and Zavorek sped around third and slid into home safely.

“I’m trying to give him as many opportunities as possible to keep him sharp,” Bloomquist explained. “The kid can help us, too. He had a great game at UCLA the other day, and then he comes and lays a bunt down, which we’ve been screaming for someone to do. He gets it down and creates havoc, so that was an outstanding job.”

The offense finally found a way to put runs up on the board after combining for 10 runs through the first two games, and the Sun Devils needed every last run for the win. Junior second baseman Kyle Walker started the scoring in the sixth inning with an RBI single, and Walker is starting to find his touch with the bat that Bloomquist was waiting to see.

“He’s a dynamic player,” Bloomquist recognized. “If we’re going to get to where we want to go, we need him to do what he’s capable of. When he’s on, he can run, hit with power and contact, and I have to think they have to start falling for him eventually. He’s had enough lineout and hard-hit balls, so hopefully, he’s going to start finding some holes.”

Freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek got the start at designated hitter today, and he delivered. He contributed two of the RBI’s in the sixth courtesy of a single with runners on second and third and stole a run earlier in the game.

The Sun Devils received contributions from all throughout the lineup, as senior catcher Josiah Cromwick broke the 1-1 tie in the fourth inning with a no-doubt homer over the left field wall to put ASU in front. Cromwick is a very soft-spoken leader in the clubhouse and has a similar demeanor and relationship with Bloomquist that was seen last year with Ryan Campos.

“He has a quiet confidence to him,” Bloomquist remarked. “He’s not a vocal or outspoken guy, but I think he tries to lead by example. He’s a very smart baseball player, and he notices everything that’s going on. There’s a lot of times I’ll ask him one-on-one what he sees from a team perspective, so he’s a very intelligent player.”

A lot went wrong for the Sun Devils this weekend, but they were able to bounce back and roll with the punches. This was an important game to win for ASU, with only a week of nonconference play left. While there is still a lot to clean up, Bloomquist is confident in how his squad will respond to this weekend.

“We have to be better in a lot of areas,” Bloomquist expressed. “We’re not clicking on all cylinders offensively, and the base running has to be cleaned up. There are a lot of things that we as a staff have to continue grinding on these guys with and get them better. We’re not going to be perfect, but we have to improve to be the team we want to be.”

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