(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
While the Arizona State bats may have been shut down for most of game one against the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks, that wasn’t the case in game two. The team had 13 hits, including three home runs and three triples en route to a 7-3 victory.
The long balls were hit by Spencer Torkelson and Lyle Lin. Torkelson hit his first home run in the bottom of the second to get ASU’s first run on the board.
After the RedHawks answered Torkelson’s solo shot with three of their own, Lyle Lin hit his own solo homer to get the Sun Devils back in the game. Torkelson showed off more of his power immediately, going back-to-back with Lin to tie the score at 3.
Torkelson had gone 0-4 in the first game. He went into game two hoping to see the ball easier and approach it differently.
“When you’re fully committed to that pitch and you get that pitch nine times out of ten you’re not gonna miss it,” Torkelson said.
Gage Canning had two of his team’s three triples. For Canning, being familiar with Phoenix Municipal Stadium helped.
“Just like playing here a lot, you know when you hit in the gaps you know you have a shot at three cause its so deep,” he said.
Carter Aldrete had the other triple, to go with his single and double he also hit during the game, putting him a home run shy of the cycle. Head coach Tracy Smith said Aldrete has been playing the team’s best baseball at practice. He also said, in reference to Canning and Alrdrete’s plate performances in general tonight, that “We are gonna need those guys to be good for us to be good.”
Scott Mehan and Drew Swift also had a hit each. Torkelson and Canning had singles to go with their extra base hits.
The Sun Devils may have made better contact than the afternoon game, but they did have some help from the RedHawks’ defense. Three of the seven runs ASU scored were unearned. Two errors in the sixth inning allowed ASU to take the lead 6-3.
Smith also noted how even though the Sun Devils were getting hits, it wasn’t a smooth game offensively
“I thought we were really, really pressing offensively tonight. I mean really pressing offensively,” ASU’s head coach said. “So I expect that stuff to change.”
While the won by a four-run margin, the Devils did waste opportunities throughout the game. Base running problems cost the Sun Devils two runs. Aldrete got caught stealing right before Lin hit his homer and Alika Williams was also caught stealing right before Canning hit one of his triples.
In the two games on Saturday, 12 men were left on base. The five left on in game one would have made a big difference in the final score of a 4-2 win for Miami.
After the first two games of the season, Canning, Aldrete and Lin are leading the team offensively. Canning went 2-4 in game one and 3-5 in game two, giving him 5 hits total on ASU’s Opening Day. Aldrete went 1-4 in game one and 3-4 in game two, while Lin went 2-4 in both games giving them both 4 hits in the season so far.
“Play the game, not your opponent,” was the advice Coach Tracy Smith gave his team with the series against Miami.
The Devils play the RedHawks two more times and now that the series is evened out at 1-1, it truly is about playing the game not the opponent. They redeemed themselves after a game one loss with a win and now need to take that same energy and thought process into the next two games.
The Sun Devils presented themselves as a relaxed team that was ready to compete and face adversary during fall and spring practice. Now the season has started and its giving them the opportunity to prove that that will reign true during the actual season too.
