It seems fitting that Kai Murphy was able to put his fingerprints on the first signature postseason moment of the Willie Bloomquist era. No player in an Arizona State uniform has spent more time around this program than Murphy, and as he unloaded on a hanging curveball in the bottom of the sixth, the son of former head coach Pat Murphy was fired up. His two-run blast gave the Sun Devils a lead they would not give back, defeating No. 4 seed Oregon 4-2 Thursday morning to keep its season alive at least another day.
“That guy has a good slider, he gave me trouble with it earlier this year, so I knew it was coming,” Murphy said. “When things are going bad, you have to be able to step out and reset and remember why you’re here. I took some brutal swings earlier. Just had to say I’m going to be short to it and trust myself that’s what I was doing.”
Murphy’s towering homer made a 2-1 deficit a 3-2 lead. ASU tacked on an insurance run in the eighth to give itself some breathing room, but it was unnecessary today.
The game was unlike most the Sun Devils have played in 2022. A potent offense combined with an inconsistent pitching staff that struggles with depth has led to numerous high-scoring games, both wins, and losses. Despite its relative lack of experience with close low, scoring games, Arizona State delivered a buttoned-up performance down the stretch that didn’t resemble much of what we’ve seen all year.
Christian Bodlovich, Graham Osman, Blake Pivaroff, and Brock Peery combined for 4.1 innings of shutout relief to secure the season-extending victory. A day after coughing up a late lead, the bullpen shined. You shouldn’t be surprised by the resilience of this unit; bouncing back in the face of adversity is something they’ve done all year.
“That’s why they’re in those positions, they have short memories, and they bounce right back,” Willie Bloomquist said of his bullpen. “Osman three the ball great, Bod did his job. Everyone did their job.”
Tyler Meyer made his last start of 2022 a solid one. He turned in 4.2 innings, allowing two runs while striking out four and allowing four hits. He had some command issues, walking five Ducks, but was able to pitch out of trouble in the face of potentially big innings. Meyer’s velocity has been a hot-button issue all year long. The early season 92-94 was short-lived, as shoulder issues kept him in the 88-90 range during a tumultuous second half. His heater had that February/March zip on it on Thursday morning. Oregon could not barrel up his best stuff when it needed to most.
“Tyler Meyer didn’t have his best stuff, but he gutted it out,” Bloomquist said. “4 and ⅔, he made big pitches when he needed to. Wasn’t as sharp as he normally is, but the big thing is we got the win, so, onward.”
After feeling like they could have and should have upset No. 1 Stanford on Wednesday afternoon, ASU entered this loser’s bracket game with Oregon as underdogs once again. Again Arizona State jumped out to an early lead, this time courtesy of Conor Davis and Joe Lampe. Lampe smacked a leadoff single and later came around to score on Davis’s one-out single to shallow left. The RBI knock was only the team’s second hit, with runners in scoring position in the tournament. ASU had previously been 1-17 in those situations.
It’s officially survive and advance time for the Sun Devils. With Oregon eliminated, ASU awaits the loser of Thursday afternoon’s winner’s bracket contest between Stanford and Arizona.
“It’s just baseball,” Murphy said. “This could be your last game; you could have a lot more games. Just take it one at a time and be present.”
Is Bloomquist hoping to get another shot at rival Arizona?
“It doesn’t matter. We can’t control that,” he said. “Obviously, I think the fans would like to see that. I wouldn’t mind it, that’s for sure. I know our guys would be up for that game.”
When asked about the state of the bullpen moving forward, Bloomquist didn’t have a definitive answer. In a condensed tournament format like this one, the relievers for all teams will surely be taxed as the days go on. Adam Tulloch will likely start on Friday against the Stanford/Arizona loser. The southpaw has not yet pitched in the postseason.
(Quotes courtesy of Austin Green, Cronkite News Phoenix Sports Bureau)
