(Photo: Joey Plishka/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball entered Saturday’s game against BYU defeated before the first pitch.
This feeling started Thursday night, as BYU scored three runs in the final two innings to steal the first game of the series. It intensified on Friday, with ASU up two runs in the ninth inning before the bullpen had a disastrous performance, allowing four runs in the top half of the frame to lose the series.
It was apparent from the first pitch that the Sun Devils were seemingly not ready for Sunday’s game, as they allowed eight runs in the first two innings of the contest. Back-to-back heartbreaking outings in the final frames for ASU looked like it took its toll.
The Sun Devils encapsulated the pain from the two late-game collapses and turned it into an embarrassing 19-3 series finale loss to the Cougars on Saturday. It’s the first time ASU has been swept by an opponent this year.
“We just as a team aren’t very good,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “It was embarrassing. One of the more embarrassing things I have been a part of on the baseball field, and that is on me.”
ASU extended its losing streak to BYU to six, which dates back to 2011.
The Cougars seem to have the Sun Devils number, and it showed in the first inning, with BYU’s first six batters getting on base. ASU sophomore right-hander Josh Hansell got the start, his first of the season, and simply couldn’t finish at-bats.
Hansell had the first five Cougars batters in two-strike counts but failed to record an out, loading the bases. BYU batters stayed alive in the count, extending at-bats, and it didn’t take long for them to see the results. BYU junior outfielder Ryan Spede drove the ball to left field to drive in the first two runs.
The Cougars stayed aggressive, as the next two batters recorded an RBI double and a sac-fly to extend the BYU lead 4-0 after a 36-pitch first inning from Hansell.
ASU entered the second inning with a new pitcher in senior right-hander Jacob Walker, but faced the same results with another four-run inning allowed, bloating the lead to 8-0.
In that second inning, ASU had multiple chances to change the complexation of the game but was unable to finish out tough plays. The Sun Devils opened the inning with a dropped groundout and then a challenging overhead fly ball drop in center field. After those two missed opportunities, Walker looked shaken on the mound, missing far off the plate.
He couldn’t recover.
“I think they’re amped up,” pitching coach Sam Peraza said of the bullpen struggles. “Prior to today [the bullpen] pitched well, but they all came very amped up, not calming their nerves.”
ASU bats during this time blanked at the plate, as BYU junior starting right-hander Nate Dahle dominated. The brother of Jake Dahle, the Dixie State pitcher that ASU hammered early in the season, was able to get some redemption with a strong showing, only allowing one run in three frames with three strikeouts.
At the end of the third, ASU trailed 9-1 after graduate student infielder Conor Davis drove in the club’s first run of the afternoon. The inning saw more ASU batters hit by a pitch (two) than make contact with one (1). The Sun Devils had runners on early, but couldn’t take full advantage, leaving 11 runners on base overall.
The lone positive for ASU was the continued success of senior right-hander Boyd Vander Kooi returning from injury. He was the only pitcher to go longer than ⅔ innings not to allow a hit on Saturday. In his second appearance, Vander Kooi went two frames, retiring six-straight batters and using high tempo in a quick 18 pitches. He also got two strikeouts.
“[Getting] Boyd out there, which was the one positive out of all of this, seeing him go out there for two innings – I feel really good about potentially getting him out there in the starting rotation,” Peraza said.
Peraza mentioned how he could see Vander Kooi opening a game as soon as ASU’s road trip to San Diego State.
Even with Vander Kooi dominating and giving ASU some momentum heading into the middle innings, it was futile, as the bats were just not coming around. The lowlight of these efforts was in the fourth inning, as the Sun Devils flew out three times in four pitches to end the inning and end any hope of coming back.
“It’s really honing in on the approach and sticking to it,” hitting coach Travis Buck said on how to improve ASU’s bats. “Be willing to sacrifice and taking a strike, rather than seeing a fastball out of my zone and put the ball in play to be 0-1”
Buck called some of the Sun Devils’ at-bats as “selfish” and said he wants to see more patience in getting the ball in play instead of swinging for the big fly.
Even with the lack of offense, the bullpen looked to be making strides, going four straight frames without allowing a run. That was until the eighth inning, however, as junior right-hander Andrew Lucas would start to lose his steam after pitching two shutout innings.
“I accept responsibility for running [Lucas] back out there for one more inning,” Bloomquist said. “He was throwing it well, and I got greedy wanting to put up another zero, but he wasn’t ready for that third inning.”
BYU senior outfielder Mitch McIntyre would attack Lucas’ fatigue, driving in two runs and extending the lead to 11-1. ASU junior right-hander Dom Cacchione would come in to relieve and try to stop the bleeding, but the Cougars continued the onslaught with their aggressive hitting. BYU junior outfielder Cole Gambill highlighted it by hitting a three-run home run to4 right field, making it 15-1 after the eighth.
The ninth saw sophomore infielder Blake Pivaroff get on the mound to try and save some of the arms in the bullpen while also gain experience as a two-way player. However, BYU repeatedly attacked, scoring another four runs in the final frame to add insult to injury for what was already a terrible weekend for the Sun Devils.
“I was trying to remember even when I was a player, and this might’ve been the first time I’ve been swept in this uniform,” Buck said. “It better be a wake-up call.”
ASU would add two insignificant runs in the bottom of the ninth to end the misery at 19-3.
It’s hard to believe this is close to rock bottom for the Sun Devils just seven games into the year, but it may be within sight. When asked if he addressed the team after today’s game, Bloomquist said, “We had some words.”
Buck added a little more clarity about the vibe from the locker room after a brutal series sweep against BYU.
“Guys are pissed, as they should be,” Buck said. “This is unacceptable here. This is not what Arizona State is. We have expectations, and we expect to win.”
ASU will have its chance to respond big with a massive two-game set against the No. 4 ranked school in the nation, Oklahoma State, at home on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“Bottom line, you have to be ready to play,” Bloomquist said. “Have your lunch packed or get your teeth kicked like today.”
