(Photo: Karli Matthias/WCSN)
Every time Tyler Thornton takes the hill, head coach Tracy Smith can be assured that he is receiving a guaranteed solid six innings from the sophomore.
It’s been a small sample size of three starts to the season, but Thornton has made his case of why he is the Sun Devils most consistent starting pitcher right now early in the season.
Thornton’s third consecutive quality start and a second straight Devils offensive onslaught helped No. 12 Arizona State (8-3) take Saturday night’s game 14-1 over Nebraska (1-7), putting ASU in position for a second-straight weekend series sweep on Sunday afternoon.
Thornton pitched six innings, allowing six hits, one earned run, one walk and struck out eight in 98 pitches.
In three starts, he’s pitched 18.2 innings, allowing five earned runs, five walks, and struck out 21 while posting a 2.41 ERA and holding opposing hitters to a .200 batting average.
“Our game plan was just to go after them with fastballs and they hit it pretty well today, so I had to go to my slider a lot,” Thornton said. “I felt pretty good with it.
“It’s awesome being able to go out there and not having to worry about the guys coming after me because I know [the reliever] are going to do a good job and I know we are going to score a lot of runs when I’m pitching.”
Keeping the team in the game is an ideal Smith preaches heavily with his pitching staff, and Thornton has not failed to live up to that standard so far.
“He’s done a good job up to this point,” Smith said. “A lot of season left to play, but no question, he’s done exactly what we need him to do each time out.”
The offense went off again for a second consecutive night, notching fourteen hits in the game. Second baseman Drew Swift collected his second-straight three-hit game while racking up two RBI. Left fielder Trevor Hauver also stayed hot by extending his hitting streak to nine games while hitting his third home run of the season out to right-center in the fourth.
The junior outfielder is seeing the ball a lot better at the plate recently, and he drew three more walks, making it now 13 walks drawn in the last six games.
“I think we’re sticking to our approach that we’ve been given,” Hauver said. “It’s just trying to drive the ball gap to gap like we did last weekend. It’s obviously playing out. I think we’re a lot more patient at the plate, seeing the ball well and everyone is clicking right now.”
The Sun Devils would eventually break it open in the fifth inning, scoring five runs that would start putting the game out of reach. A run scored on a Hauver walk and right-fielder Hunter Jump recorded his second straight multi-hit game, including a bases-clearing three-run double to right-center.
Jump, a junior transfer from Central Arizona Community College, struggled a little bit in the leadoff spot early on but has now transitioned into a middle of the order hitter who is now starting to make lots of solid contact after a couple of adjustments.
“It took me a couple of games,” Jump said. “I was watching how they pitched to my teammates and kind of just going from there. I’ve been working on a few little tweaks with [hitting coach] Mike [Earley] but for the most part, little tweaks and just waiting for my pitch.”
Smith has said throughout the season how they have welcomed Jump with open arms this season and how he will be playing a big role in the lineup if teams decide to pitch around Spencer Torkelson and Hauver throughout the year.
“He is no stranger to us,” Smith said. “We need him. We need him to give us those quality at-bats in the middle of the order, especially if they are going to continue to walk Spencer and even Trevor. Not a surprise to us that the kid can hit; that’s why he’s in the lineup and he’s proven he’s a good hitter at this level. It’s good to see him get going because if he does that, it’s going to make things different.”
ASU would then score seven more runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings combined against a shaky Nebraska bullpen, highlighted by a Brian Kalmer two-run double and an Alex Helmin RBI single– his first hit of his collegiate career.
Arizona State will look for the sweep Sunday afternoon with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m from Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
