Two wins in opening series is strong start for ASU baseball

(Photo: Allyson Cummings/WCSN)

Relievers-turned-starting pitchers Ryan Burr and Brett Lilek expected short starts.

The bullpen was going to have to step up all weekend long.

The Arizona State Sun Devils entered their opening weekend series against the Baylor Bears knowing those would be keys to a successful start. Two victories and a series win later, they could not have foreseen the future any clearer.

Burr and Lilek both pitched only four innings, and the bullpen played a pivotal role in all three of the weekend’s matchups.

Burr, a sophomore righty making the transition into the rotation from the closer role, made the opening day start and fared well on a limited pitch count. Allowing only two hits and one earned run in four innings of work, he converted out after out yet simply let counts get too deep before sending batters down.

“I think he was a little amped up, you have to remember it was his first start at Arizona State,” Esmay said about Burr. “He just wasn’t commanding the zone. He was still getting outs, but it was 3-2, 3-2. It was just a lot of pitches.”

Darrin Gillies relieved Burr in the fifth and threw three innings of one-run relief. Trouble arose for the Sun Devils in the eighth when they had to reach further into their bullpen. Leading 7-2 heading into in the inning, Josh McAlister, Nick Diamond, and Hever Bueno combined to allow seven runs in the game’s final two frames. The Sun Devils lost 9-7 as a result.

“We had to go to our pen early today, and that makes the end of the game a little bit stretched out more than anticipated, ” Esmay said.

The bullpen’s struggles did not carry over to the rest of the weekend, however.

On Saturday, proven second-year starter Ryan Kellogg allowed three runs over five innings before Eric Melbostad came out of the pen and delivered just what the team doctor ordered.

Melbostad was brilliant, setting down 12 consecutive batters to end the game after giving up a single and a balk to begin his outing. His four innings of efficient work allowed the ASU bats to slowly but surely grab hold of the lead and together they would not look back.

A balanced effort from the Sun Devils–all but one member of Saturday’s starting lineup reached base and seven-of-nine hit safely–brought across seven runs on the day. David Greer and David Graybill led the attack with two RBI each in the 7-4 victory.

Following Saturday’s win, Melbostad beamed with confidence when talking about his team.

“It feels great. Every time we go out we want to win and if we do lose it’s a fluke in our eyes. We should never lose a game,” Melbostad said. “To me, we are the best team in the country. I can say that with confidence, I can say that with pride.”

Sunday’s rubber match saw Lilek get the start for ASU, so given his limited pitch count, again the bullpen expected to be called upon for some extra action. The relievers did not disappoint on the day, combining to allow only one run and four hits in five innings.

It was the offense, however, that ensured the victory.

A nine-run outburst in a sixth inning in which the Sun Devils nearly batted around twice all but put the series on ice.

Tucker Esmay, son of coach Tim, broke out for three hits and drove in as many to lead the way. Christopher Beall made the most of his first career start with two hits and two RBI.

The Sun Devils went on to finish off the final game of the series with ease, winning 12-1.

Trever Allen had the only home run for ASU in the series with his blast in the first inning on Friday. He and Esmay led the team with four hits on the weekend.

Coach Esmay, using a different lineup for each game, saw the season’s opening set as an opportunity to get competition underway and tinker with how his players would react to certain matchups.

“The competition in that clubhouse is pretty fierce this year and as you can tell we got some good players,” Esmay said. “We have some guys that were freshman last year that didn’t get a lot of opportunity and they’ve earned that opportunity but we still have some veteran guys that are still playing real good baseball.

“It’s something that I haven’t had here in a while, as far as having the depth. And so I got to trust that and give those guys opportunities.”

Pitching was expected to carry this team through the season, though 26 runs in three games to open their campaign is no surprise to the head coach.

“Don’t count our offense out,” Esmay said, “Our offense is a grind-it-out type offense. Our offense will fight you; they’ll have great at-bats; and they’ll see some pitches.”

Arizona State, 2-1, will hang around in Tempe for a matchup against New Mexico, 1-2, on Tuesday evening before heading out for a seven-game road trip.

You can reach Brett Deckert on Twitter @Brett_Deckert or via email at bdeckert@asu.edu.

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