(Photo: Aiden Longbrake/WCSN)
PHOENIX – After utilizing six different pitchers on Friday night, head coach Willie Bloomquist hoped he could get as many innings as possible out of senior right-handed starter Alex Overbay.
However, after just three innings of work, Overbay got himself into trouble, allowing four runs and failing to record an out. Overbay was pulled with the bases loaded, and it was up to sophomore pitcher Taylor Penn to get the Sun Devils out of the jam.
Immediately, Penn went to work. He forced the first TCU batter he faced into a double play, which, although it scored a run, allowed Arizona State to take a small breath.
Two pitches later, Penn got ASU out of the jam with a groundout, still leading by three runs. As he ran off the field, a sigh of relief soldiered on through the stadium.
“How about the job Taylor Penn did?” Bloomquist said. “Coming in there and just putting out the fire for four innings. That was huge. Getting the double play ball, bases loaded, nobody out. Then get the next guy out, and put zeros from there.”
While Penn escaping the third was crucial for the Sun Devils, what was even more important was the fact that he shut down the Horned Frogs’ offense afterward. The Kentucky native pitched four innings, a career high, allowing just one hit and striking out four batters. His performance allowed the Sun Devils to use just four pitchers on the evening.
“We were really hoping to get through the sixth with him,” Bloomquist said. “He got us through the seventh. There was half a notion to send him back out for the eighth, with his pitch count being only 48. But, him having four big innings for us there, he did his job.”
Saturday night was Penn’s second straight appearance that extended his outing past the typical one or two innings seen for relievers, as he also went three scoreless against ASU’s rivals from down south, Arizona, on Tuesday.
In both games, Penn employed his changeup to get him through multiple innings, helping the Sun Devils not have to use a depleted bullpen.
“I can’t tell you how big [Penn going four innings] was,” Bloomquist said. “He did just an outstanding job. Pitched with confidence, conviction, and good tempo. He kept things moving and saved our bullpen.”
While Penn’s heroics are what propelled the Sun Devils, it was Overbay who got the gears turning. He started the game firing on all cylinders, going three innings and allowing just one run off two hits.
“I think [Overbay] was cruising there and throwing the ball outstanding,” Bloomquist said. “Sometimes when you put up that kind of offensive inning, a couple of things could happen. You could have a mental lapse. The other thing is you sit for a long time and have to get restarted.”
In the bottom half of the third inning, the Sun Devils scored nine runs, which, for a pitcher, tends to be helpful. However, the inning lasted over 25 minutes, leaving Overbay sitting in the dugout, waiting for his opportunity to go back on the field.
“Overbay was probably in a groove,” Penn said. “Sitting down for a little bit, you kind of get out of rhythm. Pitching is a lot of rhythm. Those things happen, but he’ll be back out there next week going for us again.”
Behind the mound was a group of stellar defensive plays. In the second inning, when Overbay first looked to get himself into trouble, junior shortstop PJ Moutzouridis fielded a ball in the 5-6 hole and had to make an off-balance throw to first, which was just in time, ending the inning and preventing a second run from coming across the plate.
Sophomore left-fielder Landon Hairston also made a pure athletic play, coming up with a sliding catch in the eighth inning. He was joined by junior center-fielder Dominic Longo, whose diving catch in the seventh inning took extra bases away from the Horned Frogs, not allowing them to get any momentum going offensively.
“It’s expected,” Bloomquist said of ASU’s defensive effort. “Those guys are going to go out there and play hard behind our pitchers, and tonight is no different. Our goal for our guys is to make the routine plays, and let the highlight reel plays take care of themselves.”
While Sunday’s day game will likely come with even more offensive juice, ASU will hope its defensive play will stay up to the standard that Bloomquist has set. With senior Kole Klecker on the mound Sunday, the Sun Devils will hope to take their opening conference series, with first pitch at 1:05 p.m. MST at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
“In this ballpark, the teams we are playing, there are no easy outs,” Bloomquist said. “If we can steal innings and steal outs to not tax the next guy. That matters in the long run. Those stack up.”
