(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
There are home runs in baseball. And then, there are Hunter Bishop’s home runs. It’s the same result, but the difference is how far they fly.
Led by his two-homer, four-RBI performance on Wednesday night, Bishop increased his team-leading home run total to 12 this season as Arizona State put on an offensive clinic against California Baptist University, winning 15-9 over the Lancers and improving to 20-0.
For the junior centerfielder who only hit ten home runs in his first two seasons as a Sun Devil, head coach Tracy Smith praised Bishop’s maturity at the plate as well as having exceptional hitters hitting above him in the lineup leading to his outstanding production thus far.
“[He’s] getting into hitting counts and having a lot more plate discipline,” Smith said. “[He’s] understanding the strike zone a little bit better. There’s really not an ability to pitch around somebody when you got guys swinging the bat and guys on base in front of you. It all connects and if everybody is doing their job, it allows a little bit better opportunity for success whether it be individually or team.”
Bishop’s first home run firmly got the sweet spot as he drove the ball to dead center and it hit half-way up the batter’s eye, an estimated 450 feet according to ASU’s Trackman technology, to give the Devils a 1-0 lead in the 1st inning. His second homer went over the right-field bullpen and at the time gave the Devils a 4-0 lead in the third.
ASU racked up 15 hits Wednesday night over a Lancers’ pitching staff that really struggled against a potent Devils offense. With the exception of Sam Ferri, every starter recorded at least one base hit and five Sun Devils had two-hit games.
Despite the explosive start to the game behind a five-run third inning and a four-run fourth inning, Smith was not at all happy with how his closed out the game. Starting pitcher Sam Romero pitched exceptionally, throwing five scoreless innings. However, the rest of the bullpen failed to close out the game efficiently, giving up nine runs, ten hits and five walks.
“I’m really disappointed,” Smith said. “We’ve had a bullpen that’s been taxed with having to pitch a lot of innings with not a lot of guys. To have to bring Brady Corrigan in at the end, I’m not real happy about it. The lesson to be learned from everybody in that locker room is that if you let down for one second at this level and you don’t pitch and hit with a competitive attitude, you will increase your chances for failed results.
“The intent when we put guys in isn’t to get by or float through or just be funny. It’s to go and get people out at a level that’s expected to get guys out here at Arizona State. That stuff from the seventh inning on is not indicative of what I feel gives us a real good chance to win in our conference.”
Smith was disappointed overall that the players coming off the bench and from the bullpen could not keep the lead at double-digits. He also talked about the long season ahead and to have to make the team work harder than it should Wednesday night with still plenty of games to go was concerning for the head coach.
Smith even allowed Carter Aldrete to pitch the eighth inning, his first ever collegiate pitching appearance. Aldrete pitched one inning, giving up one earned run and two walks with also his first career strikeout.
ASU will play in Eugene against the Oregon Ducks for a three-game series starting on Friday night. First pitch on Friday begins at 6:00 p.m MST from PK Park.
