Baseball

Sun Devils’ Bullpen Near-Perfect Performance Leads Way for Comeback in Opening Weekend Finale

PHOENIX – Sean Fitzpatrick stepped onto the mound for the second time in two days. Unlike the day before, he did not have a six-run cushion. Omaha was tied with Arizona State 4-4 in the eighth inning, with the top of its batting order due up. Surrendering a run would give Omaha the lead and seemingly the victory. Facing the demands of flawlessness, Fitzpatrick could not flinch.

He answered the call, striking out three of the four batters he faced. Just like his strikeout from the day before, Fitzpatrick’s performance was crucial to the Sun Devils’ win on Sunday.

Fitzpatrick and the rest of the relievers helped pull ASU (3-0) out of an early hole to win 6-4 over Omaha (0-3). The bullpen handled its business to complete the series sweep at home on opening weekend.

“It’s just our job, dude,” Fitzpatrick said. “We are in the bullpen for a reason. It does not matter if it is Easton having not his best stuff today or Carlon going five innings. We all are ready for whenever our number is called.”

Fitzpatrick said he knew that if a left-handed batter was substituted in, he would be the man up. That is why he was so prepared when Mason Gaines pinch-hit for the Mavericks. Fitzpatrick needed just eight pitches to strike out Gaines and his lefty teammate Edoardo Cornelli.

Ultimately, it was a right-handed batter that he struggled with. He walked Chase Diggins in four pitches before throwing a wild pitch that advanced him to second. He finally settled down and struck out Henry Zipay, putting the final touches on an impressive first weekend of his senior season.

Sunday games are often opportunities for underdogs to steal a game from the favored team. Omaha saw its opportunity and wasted no time.

Facing a young pitcher in sophomore Easton Barrett, the Mavericks’ batters stayed patient in the batter’s box, forcing Barrett to beat them. He seemed capable at first, striking out Diggins in three pitches, but that level of control was fleeting. Barrett’s four walks loaded the bases and gave up a run before he finally escaped with another strikeout to end the inning.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist did not want to be too critical of his young pitcher, but acknowledged Barrett’s struggles, calling it an “outlier.”

“It was very sloppy early on,” Bloomquist said. “We do not need to go into all the details other than just a whole lot of walks and a whole lot of standing around. We could have put a statue in the box, and we might have lost there, early on.”

The break between innings was not enough to shock him out of his slump. His struggles with control carried over into the 2nd inning, where he gave up two hits and a run before loading the bases again.

Jaden Alba was called in to relieve Barrett. Dealing with loaded bases and a sudden substitution, Alba struggled. Brody Sexton smacked a full-count pitch to shallow right field, just beyond where second baseman Nu’u Contrades could reach. His hit brought in two runs, extending the Mavericks’ lead to 4-0.

Omaha would not score again. Alba settled down and pitched four scoreless innings. Bloomquist said the junior calmed the waters, an energy ASU desperately needed.

Alba finished his day after surrendering just three hits against 16 batters. In the fourth inning, he gave up a standing double that turned into a man on third with only one out. Just like his captain, Fitzpatrick, Alba stood strong, earning an infield popup and strikeout to leave the inning unscathed. Alba’s clutch moments in the second and fourth innings set the standard for the Sun Devils’ bullpen.

“We’re doing a good job on pitching our way out of trouble and not giving up big numbers, so to speak,” Bloomquist said.

Any conversation about clutch ASU performances this season is not complete without mentioning Derek Schaefer. After pitching a scoreless ninth inning on Friday, he put the final touches on the Sun Devils’ comeback win by forcing three quick field outs. He picked up a save, and earned the trust of his coach. Bloomquist said the junior pitcher is expected to step into the late-game hero role vacated by current starter Cole Carlon.

Sophomore Eli Buxton is looking to step up in a similar fashion to Schaefer. He had a solid performance in his sole inning, but Bloomquist said it did not meet his high expectations.

Having pitched less than eight innings in his college career, it was no surprise that he seemed flustered against his first batter. He gave up a line drive single to Jackson Trout before settling down for a strikeout. A groundout later and Buxton was once again struggling, this time walking Drew Borner. Finally, he ended his tumultuous outing with a flyout to his second baseman.

Buxton’s seventh-inning performance, followed immediately by Fitzpatrick’s eighth-inning masterclass, perfectly captured the bullpen’s positive outing, despite some growing pains.

“It is great that we are 3-0, but we are not where we need to be as a team and how we are playing,” Fitzpatrick said. “So, we are very excited to be able to get back after it and get better, and keep working to get to where we want to go.”