First-Inning Barrage Propels Sun Devils in Midweek Win

(Photo: Mia Gonzalez/WCSN)

PHOENIX – As Arizona State’s game began Wednesday night in front of a crowd of over 3000, the optimism surrounding the team was palpable. ASU had just recently joined the AP top 25, collecting a big series win against Kansas State in the week prior. For a brief moment in the top of the first, that optimism was diminished.

Leading off the game, New Mexico State junior first baseman Steve Solorzano smacked a home run deep out to left field. It silenced the ASU crowd for the time being and was a harsh introduction to junior righty Colin Linder’s start. The NMSU fans in the crowd got most of their cheering out then, as the Sun Devils did not afford them many opportunities following that swing.

Behind an eight-run first inning and a strong bounce-back performance from Linder, the Sun Devils (19-6, 4-2) rolled to their fourth-straight midweek win, knocking off 11-13 New Mexico State, 10-4.

“Did enough to get a W, which is great. We came out early and swung the bats outstanding, a lot of good contributors out of the bullpen today”, head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “I think a little bit, at times, mental fatigue is happening, with just some uncharacteristically poor defensive plays. On offense, we come out and score a bunch – and then we mentally lose our approach. Those are some things we need to clean up.”

The Sun Devils unleashed a barrage on Aggies’ sophomore right-hander Jaden Davis, chasing him from the game before he could record an out. The onslaught started with a two-RBI double from fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo and crescendoed after junior infielder Nu’u Contrades hit a titanic 455-foot blast that scored three. Every ASU batter that Davis faced came around to score, and after Contrades’ homer, NMSU head coach Jake Angier had seen enough.

After Davis’ departure, Angier brought out a new arm in senior righty Colton Sneddon to try and stop the bleeding, but he yielded similar results. Sophomore catcher Coen Niclai brought home junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino with an RBI single, and sophomore right fielder Landon Hairston followed Niclai with a single of his own.

With runners on first and second, up to the plate came junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis for his second at-bat of the inning, after he already singled and scored on Toigo’s double. The Sun Devil shortstop outdid himself, slashing a two-RBI triple into the right-center field gap and extending the ASU advantage to eight.

The ASU offense was mostly quiet following Moutzouridis’ triple, leaving seven men on base from that point on.

Landon Hairston, the Sun Devil’s leadoff hitter and an early contender for the Big 12 Player of the Year, enjoyed yet another successful night at the plate, walking twice and homering to go along with his first-inning single in front of Moutzouridis’ big hit. Nobody has seemed able to get Hairston out recently, as his batting average has climbed to .458 and his OPS to a staggering 1.460.

From his freshman to sophomore years, Hairston has gone from a good hitter to one of the best in the country.

“I think just looking for a good pitch to hit every at bat, if it’s not there, just taking it to the next one,” Hairson said. “I think last year that’s where I had trouble, was just getting out of my strike zone.”

The ASU bullpen was excellent in relief of Linder, who struggled with his command during his three innings, throwing a first pitch strike to just four of the 14 batters he faced. The ASU relievers had no such struggles, issuing zero walks as a unit after Linder exited.

Josh Butler was the standout from the bullpen’s performance, earning the win and striking out five of his eight allotted hitters.

“J.B. did a good job keeping guys off balance,” Bloomquist said. “He threw with better conviction today.”

Sophomore right-handed throwers Eli Buxton and Finn Edwards each contributed a clean relief inning, as well as righty graduate student Colby Guy.

Contrades, the team captain who plays a huge role for ASU, not only with his stellar play but also his leadership, was back in the starting lineup for the Sun Devils on Wednesday. The second baseman has been battling a lower leg injury and has been limited to mostly pinch-hitting appearances the last few days. Bloomquist said postgame that he instructed Contrades not to run at full speed yet as his recovery progresses. After seeing him hit his first inning round tripper well over 400 feet and collect three hits and RBIs in the contest, the Aggies may have assumed he was perfectly healthy.

Two of the poor defensive plays Bloomquist referenced happened on one play in the seventh inning behind freshman righty Austin Musso. He was the only Sun Devil reliever who allowed runs to score, albeit with only one of them earned.

Musso himself started the play with a throwing error to first base on a weakly hit ball in front of the mound. Sophomore second baseman Beckett Zavorek, a pinch runner substituted for Contrades in the top half of the inning, went to collect the errant throw. He then committed a throwing error of his own, allowing a run to score on the very ugly-looking sequence.

The play was a clear stain on an otherwise promising and complete Sun Devil victory, which never looked back after the first inning explosion.