ASU Baseball: Sun Devils start series with Oklahoma State swinging

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

After a rough 16-4 loss to the Long Beach State Dirtbags Wednesday, the Arizona State Sun Devils’s batting order decided they wanted to be the ones scoring in Friday’s 9-1 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

The Devils’ lineup went 14-35 at the plate and eight of the nine starters had a hit, five of whom recorded a multi-hit performance.

Some of the most impressive at bats came from freshmen Gage Workman and Alika Williams, who did not look like they were struggling to adjust to college level baseball.

Workman went 2-4 with two triples, two RBIs and two runs. He reached first on a fielder’s choice in another at-bat and stole a base on the night well. His two triples bring his season total to three.

“He’s taken advantage of his opportunities,” Head Coach Tracy Smith said of Workman. “He’s produced in a big way for this team.”

Williams had been struggling at the plate to start off the season, saw the ball perfectly Friday, as he singled three times and walked once, reaching base all four times he stepped up to the plate.

“Skip shortened me up and I’m just looking away.” Williams said about the changes he has made at the plate. “I’m just trying to pound the right side of the field. That’s what I changed and it’s working a little bit so I’m gonna stick with it.”

Workman and Williams were not the only ASU hitters to make noise with the bat tonight. Lyle Lin went 2-4, Drew Swift went 2-5 and Carter Aldrete went 2-3.

Five of ASU’s regular nine starters are now hitting over .250 and three are hitting over .300.

Cage Canning is batting at a .537 clip and Swift is hitting .290. Lin’s average is .487, Torkelson is batting .324 and Williams increased his average to .273.

The approach the team as a whole has taken to every game has contributed to their success at the plate.

“We’re kinda just buying in, the whole team buying into what the coaches are saying.” Workman said. “Not doing our own thing. Trying to have unselfish at-bats for the team.”

One downside to this impressive offensive show was the strikeout total put up by ASU hitters, as the Sun Devils combined for 11 strikeouts Friday night.

“We cut down the strikeouts, I think we can be even better than we were tonight,” Smith said.

Offense was a big part of Friday’s win but the pitching shined as well.

Junior Sam Romero got the start for the Sun Devils to begin the series. Prior to Friday, Romero had not started a game in 2018, but had made three relief appearances, allowing two runs on five hits in 6.1 innings pitched.

Romero’s mother was in attendance for the series opener and even though it was the first chance she had to see him pitch live, he wanted to keep his start a surprise and did not tell her, despite finding out Wednesday he would get the Friday night nod.

“She didn’t know until I was actually out on the mound,” Romero said. “But once the game started going, it was just me and Lyle out there.”

This approach worked as Romero allowed only one run on five hits, while walking two and striking out seven in six innings of work. Even though it was his first start of the year, he did not put more pressure on himself than he would going into a relief appearance.

“I was only jittery in the beginning. Just the National Anthem,” Romero said, “Once the game started, I was like, ‘I’ve been here before.’”

Romero did not only give the team a solid Friday night start, but he also helped shape the entire mood in the dugout during the game.

“It’s contagious. Pitchers do good, our offense does good. It just kinda goes full circle,” Workman said. “It fires everyone up. Everyone is right there with him,”

A win to start off a series is always a welcome sight for any baseball team. Friday’s victory gives ASU momentum heading into the rest of the series, with Saturday’s game starting at 6:30 p.m.