‘Stay relentless:’ Carlon battles through adversity along path to one-run outing

(Photo: Maya Diaz/WCSN)

PHOENIX – All that got Arizona State baseball junior lefty Cole Carlon through his career-high six innings of work, and a bumpy second and third innings, was one ten-letter word. The word “relentless” motivated Carlon to twice get out of jams with runners on both second and third.

“‘Stay relentless each pitch,” Carlon said. “That’s a big word for me that I like to use to say to myself.”

Carlon needed the relentlessness on the mound to power the Arizona State baseball team to a 9-1 win over St. John’s (1-4), as the Sun Devils (5-0) won Carlon’s second start of the season.

“He walked a couple guys that put himself in some situations,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “He was able to lock in and make some big pitches to keep zeroes on the board. He did a good job limiting the damage, then pitching his way out of some things.”

Across the game, Carlon gave up three hits and three walks, and struck out nine batters. However, if you split the game in two, it tells a whole new story about Carlon’s performance.

To get through the first three innings, Carlon needed 53 pitches, as he walked three batters. In his final three innings, Carlon only threw 32 pitches, as he had two 1-2-3 innings.

“I felt pretty good toward the end,” Carlon said. “Juices were flowing a little bit more toward the end of my outing. I definitely got it going again, so I was excited about that.”

Carlon may also be excited about his future prospects, as he strives to be ASU’s first pitcher selected in the first round of the MLB Draft since former right-hander Seth Blair was picked in 2010 by the St. Louis Cardinals.

Fighting through adversity, like the second and third inning, are moments that will be sure to catch the attention of major league scouts.

“I needed to get back to where I was mechanically and mentally,” Carlon said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do that in both the second and third inning without my defense.”

Junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis was instrumental in Carlon finishing the first half of his outing unscathed. Moutzouridis recorded five assists, one in both frames that Carlon struggled.

“When we got him this fall, he had some work to do,” Bloomquist said. “To his credit, the kid is just nonstop. The work ethic is off the charts.

Moutzouridis’ defensive prowess in the infield was complemented by fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo’s range in the outfield.

Toigo’s biggest play of the night came in the fourth inning, when he took away an extra-base hit from St. John’s freshman outfielder Dylan Fitzsimmons with an incredible full-extension grab.

“That was big time,” Carlon said. “My guy got me out there.”

ASU’s defense thrived all night long behind Carlon, but it wasn’t enough to keep a zero on the scoreboard. Carlon’s lone blemish on the scoreboard came on a solo shot from left-fielder Lewis Rodriguez in the fifth inning, but yet again Carlon displayed resilience.

Carlon then struck out three of his final four batters faced, while still posting 96-mph fastballs on the radar.

“The fact he’s holding velocity – in the sixth inning, as we’re getting up and past 80 pitches – it’s big,” Bloomquist said. “He’s going to have to continue to locate his fastball and pitch off of that as we move forward.”

As the game moved forward beyond Carlon, the Sun Devils turned to junior right-hander Alex Overbay.

Overbay again delivered a strong performance on the mound, as he finished with two scoreless innings, while striking out three.

“We were able to put a big five-spot there in the seventh, which keeps him available again this weekend,” Bloomquist said. “Not that we’re looking ahead of our next two games, but it keeps him in play for the two midweek games.”

Overbay was replaced by freshman righty Austin Musso to finish the game. Unlike his last outing against Omaha, the defense behind Musso was solid.

Moving forward, the Sun Devils will certainly need strong performances from their pitching staff, as they embark on a difficult five-game stretch away from home. ASU faces No. 21 Oklahoma in a two-game midweek series before heading to Arlington, Texas, for games against No. 4 Mississippi State, No. 13 Tennessee and No. 21 Texas A&M.

In a series like this one, if the Sun Devils can find ways to persevere through tough moments in their easier non-conference games, it has the chance to receive dividends from these results late in the season.

ASU will look to avoid the themes from last season, as it dropped games against Oral Roberts and Minnesota, and finished with the No. 3 seed in the Los Angeles regional.

“When we put this schedule together, it’s not a perfect science,” Bloomquist said. “You’re chasing RPI. You’re trying to figure out who’s going to be good and have a good RPI.”