Christian Bodlovich jogged in from the right field bullpen with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the eighth. His team was clinging to a 4-1 lead, and Will Levine had just made things a bit dicey for the Sun Devils. Luckily, They call him the fireman for a reason.
Bodlovich stared trouble in the face and rose to the occasion like he has so many times this year, striking out the side in order to escape the jam without allowing a run. It was the kind of clutch performance fans have become accustomed to seeing from the junior right-hander.
“That was huge. That was pretty much the whole game right there,” Bloomquist said. “We were hoping to only give up one or two right there and keep the lead. To come out of there unscathed was a pleasant surprise. That’s what Bod does; he puts out fires.”
ASU tacked on two more in the home half of the eighth to cruise to a 6-1 victory over Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night. It’s their fifth straight win. The Sun Devils have clawed back to .500 overall at 19-19 and sit in sixth place in the crowded conference standings at 8-7.
The bullpen has come a long way from its early season struggles that greyed Bloomquist’s hair faster than anything he endured during his playing career. Those issues are firmly behind them. With that growth has come confidence and trust in each other, that is vitally important to a successful relief unit.
“Will has picked me up a bunch before; to be able to do that for one of your guys is always a good feeling,” Bodlovich said. “Coming out of the pen, I always like to think about getting one out at a time. We’ve been playing a lot better recently, and I think if we keep playing like this, we’ll be just fine.”
The momentum from Bodlovich’s most recent Houdini act effectively made its way to the home half of the eighth. Entering the frame, it looked like Ryan Campos might actually be capable of having a poor night at the plate. That notion was short-lived. He followed Conor Davis’s double with a two-run shot to right, his second of the year. Campos batting .337 and his 16 runs batted in are by far the most among those who didn’t begin the season in the starting lineup. Not only has he firmly secured his spot, but he’s also cemented his value in the five-spot of a dangerous lineup.
The impressive at-bats have been well documented. Bloomquist mentioned he’s also been very impressed with Campos’s defense behind the dish.
“As a freshman coming in, obviously the more success you have, the more confidence you’re going to get,” Bloomquist said. “From a receiving standpoint, he’s getting pitches that he wasn’t early in the year. Being able to receive pitches to get us more strikes that are maybe borderline, he’s done a lot more of that. He’s very mature; I’m excited to have him for the next three years at least.”
Solo shots from Kai Murphy in the fourth and Jacob Tobias in the sixth anchored the Sun Devil bats. Murphy’s recent power surge has been a welcome sight for Bloomquist, who has praised his right-fielder’s ability to extend the dangerous part of the lineup.
“If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” Bloomquist said with a smile when asked if he’s considered moving Murphy up in the lineup. “Who are you gonna take out? Guys are contributing up and down the lineup. He gives us a threat pretty much all the way up and down that lineup.”
Boyd Vander Kooi made another midweek start on Tuesday night. He went a season-long three innings, allowing one run and striking out two. When he’s been able to get on the mound, Vander Kooi has been effective for the most part. Time is running out on any plan that involves stretching him further than the 45-50 pitch mark, and Bloomquist seems to be content with his role as it currently stands. Expect a lot of arms to be showcased in the dour remaining midweek games.
He gave up the game’s only run surrendered by ASU in the second inning. Jacob Walker and Blake Pivaroff bridged the gap to the seventh, where Levine’s poor showing was rescued by Bodlovich's heroics. Jared Glenn tossed a scoreless ninth to end it.
Looking ahead, a weekend in Tucson and another huge Pac-12 series with Arizona is up next for Arizona State. The Sun Devils bested their in-state rivals in a midweek clash on April 5, but a weekend conference series will certainly bring a bigger challenge. ASU didn’t see either of Arizona’s best starting pitchers when it beat the Wildcats 9-5.
“They’ve got a ton of guys who can really swing it, but I think if we stick to our plan, we’ll be fine,” Bodlovich said.
Campos was quick to point out that the fire they feel heading into the rivalry series will be met by the Wildcats with equal passion.
“They know it’s a rivalry series too; we’re expecting a challenge,” Campos said. “We’re obviously going to get their best guys. They’re going to come ready to play, so we better too.”
Willie Bloomquist has not made it a secret that he despises the University of Arizona, even the town of Tucson as a whole. He grinned and rocked back in his chair with excitement when asked about the anticipation of a rivalry series like this one. As he often does, he recalled his playing days in his answer.
“I remember beating them a whole lot. I remember having beer poured on me down there (in Tucson),” he said. “Rivalries like this one are fun; it’s why you play college sports.”
