(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
Arizona State Baseball wanted to get its work done fast and simply on Sunday afternoon. After all, it was Mother’s Day.
“We’ve had [Utah] on the ropes all weekend,” ASU freshman first baseman Jacob Tobias said. “We knew that today they weren’t going to back down, so we just had to go out strong and start it off from the beginning.”
The damage came in the first inning, courtesy of short but loud pops of the bat sending balls into the checkerboard outfield grass. ASU saw eight consecutive Sun Devils reach base and five-straight RBI knocks.
The inning also saw a couple defensive lapses for Utah, which carried over from Saturday’s loss for the Utes. Redshirt sophomore right fielder Kai Murphy skied a pop fly into shallow center field that Utah redshirt senior shortstop Matt Richardson possibly lost in the sun, leading to two runs scoring. Later, ASU freshman third baseman Cam Magee smacked a ball to center that gave trouble to Utah freshman center fielder Dakota Duffalo, helping easily score another run.
All in all, the Sun Devils tallied six runs and seven hits in the first. It set the tone for the rest of the game, as ASU secured the sweep of the Utes with a 13-6 win.
“That whole first inning I feel like got us going,” Tobias said. “With [redshirt senior right-hander] Boyd [Vander Kooi] getting a 1-2-3 inning, and then us putting up six getting Boyd a little bit of backup, I feel like from then on it was just – not a sigh of relief – but just getting a little more comfortable in our shoes and playing the game we play.”
Vander Kooi – who had given up 12 runs in his past two starts – went two smooth innings in the start. It was a strong bullpen day the rest of the way, with only one of the eight arms giving up more than a run.
While only tallying three strikeouts collectively, the unit relied on consistent defense. Whether it was Tobias snatching a liner at his knees or freshman left fielder Will Rogers tracking down a fly ball in the left field corner, the Sun Devils never allowed the Utes to gain legitimate momentum.
One of the few threats by Utah came in the fifth inning, as the Utes had two separate bases-loaded scenarios. ASU junior right-handers Chase Webster and Will Levine combined to allow just a sacrifice fly – one of three for Utah – that added to 16 total flyouts on the day.
“On Sundays, you got to mix and match,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “And figure out ways to get through who’s been used already in the weekend … just to give guys options and keep them sharp, keep them fresh and limit the amount of work that we have to use the big bullets so often.”
While the first inning served as the meat of the offensive production on Sunday, ASU continued to be unsatisfied, adding at least one run in five straight innings to seal the lid tight.
One of the stars was Tobias, whose 4-for-5 outing featured two home runs and two doubles. The first blast was a moonshot over the “National Champions” sign in right center field in the third inning. The second was perhaps given a slight nudge.
“That’s an F8 [fly ball to center field] on most days,” Bloomquist said. “He hit it at the right time with the right amount of wind. So we were like, ‘Man, don’t get too full of yourself.’
“We kind of gave him the silent treatment when he came in for that one.”
All jokes aside, Bloomquist has been impressed with the freshman’s maturation over the season. Even for Tobias himself, Sunday didn’t feel like a career day.
“I guess on paper maybe,” Tobias said. “I feel like it’s just another day though. Personally, I know what I can do. Whenever I hit the ball well, it’s not a surprise to me. I expect that from myself.”
The first baseman and designated hitter is now batting .308 on the year with seven home runs, tied for third on the team.
Even with the Sun Devils now holding a firm grip on sixth place in the Pac-12 Conference standings with seven games left, Bloomquist knows there’s still room for improvement.
However, with Sunday being a special day, the first-year head coach recognized that it’s time to unwind.
“I’m going to go celebrate with my wife and kids,” Bloomquist said. “It’s been a grind – obviously everyone’s been grinding really hard – and I think after today, especially with a nice weekend under our belt, it’s time to pull the parachute for the afternoon and turn my phone off and not make any phone calls … you need to spend time with family at times.
“We had a great weekend – celebrate it and enjoy it. Take the rest of the day off and relax and then we’ll get back to work tomorrow.”
