Coming into this season, expectations were modest for the Arizona State pitching staff. After two games, we know the root of any headaches caused by the staff will likely come from its bullpen. A solid effort was able to mask control issues from Brock Peery on opening night, but the Sun Devils weren’t as fortunate in game two. Dixie State rallied for a 7-6 win in 10 innings Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“There’s a lot of good things out there, but there’s a lot of things we need to clean up,” Bloomquist said. “Guys are expected to come in and throw strikes. We put some guys in some tough situations, but we gotta find out who can handle those tough situations. We understand what we have to clean up.”
The table was set for drama in the home half of the ninth inning. Trailing by one run, Kai Murphy led off the frame with a shot to deep center field. The ball glanced off the glove of a leaping Jagun Leavitt, and Murphy pulled into second with a lead-off double. Freshman Alex Champagne laid down a gorgeous bunt single in his first collegiate at-bat, and Sean McLain legged out what would have been a game-ending double play to plate the tying run following a strikeout. Murphy was able to scamper home with the tying run.
“Yeah, I thought I got it; the ball doesn’t fly as well in February as it does later in the year,” Murphy said. “We fought hard, but yeah, sometimes you beat yourself a little bit.”
And beat themselves they did in the top of the 10th. Reliever Dom Cacchione airmailed first base on a lead-off bunt attempt, and after a sacrifice bunt and a squeeze bunt were executed flawlessly, the Trailblazers had taken the decisive 7-6 lead. Arizona State went quietly in its half of the tenth.
Kyle Luckham gave ASU a solid start, tossing 4.1 innings and striking out three while allowing one run. Between him and Friday night’s starter Adam Tulloch, starting pitching seems to be an area of strength for the team. The trouble began after the right-hander was lifted.
Bloomquist called on left-hander Graham Osman to relieve Luckham in a dicey fifth inning situation. Osman inherited a two-out, runners on second and third situation and missed with his first six pitches. On the fourth, he skipped a fastball that went to the backstop to plate a run. The sixth suffered the same ill fate, and the Trailblazers tied the game without the benefit of a hit. A single coupled with a bobble at the plate on what would have been a sure out gave Dixie State the lead. Osman escaped without further damage, but his and Peery’s inability to throw strikes early is troubling.
“We try to preach to not beat yourself,” Bloomquist said about his pitching staff’s approach. “Throw strike one, get ahead, execute your game plan. Obviously, that didn’t happen as planned tonight for the most part.”
The scoring got started early for Arizona State in the bottom of the first. Sean McLain laced a lead-off double into left center field, and Joe Lampe singled him home on the very next pitch. Lampe would come around to score later in the frame when Dixie State shortstop Mathew Ivancic airmailed a potentially inning-ending throw into the Sun Devil dugout. Lampe’s big offensive night didn’t stop there. He launched a solo home run to dead center field off the face of the batter’s eye. His first blast of the young season gave ASU a 3-1 lead.
“It felt really good; I wish it came with a win, of course, but I just have to stick to my approach and keep doing what I’m doing,” Lampe said.
The offense will be the strength of this team, but through two games, they’ve struggled mightily to pick up the clutch hit. ASU has left base runners all over the diamond on back-to-back nights to open the season. It’s not a trend they want to make a habit.
“It’s not physical approach that we’ll have to change; it’s just kind of mental,” Murphy said. “Sometimes you feel like when you walk up to the plate, you feel like the pressure’s on you, but in that situation, it’s on them.”
Although they are young, Arizona State is an experienced and mature bunch. Their leadership will be called upon in the coming days, but Murphy and his teammates know not to overreact.
‘When we play like we should, teams like this shouldn’t be a problem.”
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