(Photo: Joey Plishka/WCSN)
In the first mid-week tilt of the 2022 season for Arizona State Baseball, it defeated the visiting Nevada Wolfpack 3-1.
“It was a well-played game by both teams – pretty clean baseball,” ASU Head Coach Willie Bloomquist said postgame.
Sophomore infielder Ethan Long’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth inning gave the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead that they never relinquished in the victory. Long recorded two hits in the game.
“I’m feeling a little more comfortable but I still have room to improve,” Long said. “I’m taking little strides here and there but luckily the rest of the team has been swinging the bats really well.”
ASU got a strong start from sophomore right-handed pitcher Tyler Meyer in his first start as a Sun Devil. He threw five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits while striking out six batters and walking three.
“I thought he threw the heck out of the ball – [it] really good to see,” Bloomquist said. “He spotted his changeup well and threw outstandingly.”
When Meyer woke up this morning, he didn’t know he was starting on the mound for ASU. However, he said it was better for him and his preparation.
“I didn’t have much time to think about it,” Meyer said. “I just went out and did my thing and it felt great to get that first one out of the way.”
Bloomquist said that ASU was hoping to get the kind of productive outing Meyer delivered in his first start.
“We got his feet wet by getting him in this weekend, [and] he admitted to me that he was nervous,” Bloomquist said. “He settled in nicely. [We] got him some experience and [he] threw the ball really well.”
Meyer was just thankful he gets to pitch in an ASU uniform.
“I’m just so thankful for the opportunity,” he said. “It’s kinda hitting me right now that I had a good start. Grateful to contribute to this team in a positive way.”
The scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. ASU senior infielder Conor Davis walked to lead off the inning and freshman infielder Jacob Tobias singled, which moved Davis to third. Redshirt sophomore catcher Nate Baez doubled down the left field line, scoring Davis and moving Tobias to third which set up a second and third situation.
However, back-to-back strikeouts by redshirt sophomore outfielder Kai Murphy and sophomore infielder Hunter Haas limited the Sun Devils to just a 1-0 lead.
After Meyer worked in and out of trouble in the first, he settled in nicely, having drama-free third, fourth and fifth innings.
In the sixth, Meyer gave way to sophomore right-handed pitcher Josh Hansell, who did not have his stuff on Tuesday night. He walked Nevada redshirt junior outfielder Dario Gomez to start the inning, who then moved up to second base on a wild pitch. A few pitches later, Nevada redshirt senior infielder Joshua Zamora singled him home, bringing the Wolfpack’s deficit 2-1. Following a flyout, senior outfielder Patrick Caulfield singled and sophomore utility Landon Wallace walked to load the bases.
In came ASU redshirt sophomore right-handed pitcher Christian Bodlovich for Hansell, who got Nevada junior utility Cameron Jowaiszas to strike out and redshirt junior shortstop Peter Mendazona to fly-out on just seven pitches to get out of the jam.
“My job is to come in and go as hard as you can for as long as you can,” Bodlovich said. “It’s something I have always taken to heart – going after guys and attacking the zone.”
ASU would get the run back in the bottom of the inning without the benefit of a hit. Two walks, a hit batter and three pitching changes later, ASU had the bases loaded with two outs for redshirt sophomore infielder Sean McClain. On a 3-2 pitch, McClain took low for ball four, extending the ASU lead to 3-1.
“We’re doing a good job setting the table, but we’re missing the big hit,” Bloomquist said. “We sometimes just need to put the ball in play and we need to get better at that.”
ASU would then hand the ball over to junior right-handed pitcher Chase Webster. In the seventh inning, Nevada got a runner to second base thanks to a Gomez two-out double, but Webster squashed the trouble, getting Zamora to fly-out on a 2-0 pitch.
Webster would retire two batters via the strikeout in a 1-2-3 eighth inning. After surrendering a leadoff walk to the pinch-hitter Nevada sophomore outfield Josh Catacun, he induced a 6-4-3 double play from Mendazona. He then canned redshirt junior third baseman Tyler Bosetti on strikes to end the festivities at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“Can’t say enough about him,” Bloomquist said of Webster. “For three innings he threw the ball extremely well and this is the best I’ve seen him throw.”
The Sun Devils have a day off on Wednesday before hosting a three-game set with BYU starting on Thursday.
