Recap: ASU Rides Gutsy Pitching to Hard-Fought Saturday Win

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN)

PHOENIX – As Arizona State junior right-hander Colin Linder exited with two outs during the fifth inning of Saturday’s game, the tension in both dugouts and the stands was high. Linder had pitched well to that point, collecting five strikeouts and allowing only one run on two hits. But as he walked off the field, he left a bases-loaded situation behind him, and senior lefty Sean Fitzpatrick was tasked with putting out the fire and maintaining the slim 2-1 lead.

He promptly relieved the Sun Devils of their angst, throwing three straight strikes and recording the punchout to end the inning and St. John’s threat.

“I enjoy when there’s runners on, I think that’s pretty fun to execute pitches then,” Fitzpatrick said postgame.

Saturday’s bout was tightly contested from wire to wire, with the fifth inning jam being its crescendo. ASU navigated its way to a 3-1 victory to stay undefeated with the help of stellar pitching performances and timely hitting.

It was a rare day in which the Sun Devil offense was stagnant. They had scored at least six runs in all of their prior games this year, and the three runs they mustered Saturday did not come easily.

“We were having a hard time squaring anything up today,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said.

The team managed five hits in total and only struck out three times, but hit the ball weakly in general – evidenced by the 11 ground ball outs they hit into.

Although the offensive output was nothing to brag about, it was a reassuring sight for the ASU faithful to see their team find different ways to win.

Graduate transfer outfielder Matt Polk brought home the first ASU run with an RBI triple in the second, the first of only two extra-base hits for the team on the day. It came after junior outfield mate Dominic Longo was able to start the two-out rally with a single of his own.

In the inning following, ASU again found some two-out magic. Sophomore third baseman Austin Roellig opened up the attack with a hard hit double, and senior second baseman Nu’u Contrades came up big for the Sun Devils as he often has this season, smacking a single up the middle to score Roellig after fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo was plunked in the arm in the previous at-bat.

The final ASU run was scored by sophomore catcher Coen Niclai on a squeeze play initiated by Roellig in the fifth.

Along with Fitzpatrick and Linder, the rest of the pitching staff did a masterfullly pitched around Red Storm traffic. St. John’s equaled the Sun Devils with five hits and drew more walks than ASU, but was not able to manufacture any rallies once they reached base. Arizona State pitching stranded eight baserunners in the game, and sophomore first baseman Adam Agresti was the only member of the St. John’s team who rounded third. He took Linder deep out to left field leading off the third inning.

Junior right-hander Derek Schaefer came out in the eighth and picked up the save, and has been a great weapon in the back end of the bullpen for ASU.

“I love the closers’ role,” Schaefer said. “But, pitching is pitching, so I’m just excited to throw the ball.”

It was a gritty team effort by the Sun Devils, who moved to 6-0 on the year and have showcased a well-rounded roster.

“The team dynamic has been really cool to see,” Schaefer said. “Sometimes, we’re not gonna have our best stuff, and these guys seem to pick us up pretty well, and I hope we can do the same for them.”