Sun Devils continue fall ball struggles against South Mountain

(Photo: Kaylee Wilkerson/WCSN)

TEMPE – Throughout its fall baseball scrimmages, Arizona State had run into a plethora of troubles on both sides of the ball. Head coach Willie Bloomquist has been adamant that the team’s hitting approach needed to improve–with pitching still requiring players to step up.

The Sun Devils played their final series of fall ball games against the South Mountain Cougars. In those two scrimmages, ASU came out with an 8-4 victory in the first and a 6-3 loss in the second.

The Sun Devils got off to a slow start offensively. However, the five-hole fourth-year first baseman Dominic Smaldino came out hot. On the first pitch he saw, he hit a deep drive that found its way over the wall, giving the Sun Devils their first run.

“He had a good day offensively,” Bloomquist said. “He’s one of the few guys that came out awake and ready to play today.”

In the first two innings, the pitching seemed to be on fire. Third-year pitcher Liam Roach struck out four and didn’t allow any runs in his outing.

Once he left the mound, it went all downhill. The next pitcher, second-year Jett Wright, walked his first three batters in the third and had a double hit over the third baseman’s head, scoring two. Eventually, Wright hit a batter, leading to an inning-ending double play.

“I’m more concerned with our style of play right now,” Bloomquist said. “We don’t have an identity.”

ASU pitchers were unable to find their footing through the next inning. It seemed as if the fire the first pitcher had wasn’t passed on. South Mountain took advantage of this with a double and a walk. Following a wild pitch, the runner moved to third, eventually scoring. After the drop-off in pitching, the Sun Devil lineup seemingly went cold.

ASU struggled on the diamond. They could not find a rhythm they could stick with. South Mountain’s small ball team was putting pressure on the squad. They were neck and neck throughout the first innings. What South Mountain put up, it was barely able to match them.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the final inning. The Cougars pitcher got the first out. Then, they walked the second batter, who would score on a wild pitch, followed by a single to center, scoring later on a wild pitch. The Sun Devils would keep this momentum going, as they rattled off four runs to end the game.

To begin the second game, the Sun Devils pitching staff put out the first three batters in a one-two-three inning.

Offensively, ASU took advantage of the error made by the shortstop. Third-year outfielder Jackson Hotchkiss hit a single up the third baseline that he was barely able to snag, scoring a runner before the next batter would ground out.

Bloomquist has long discussed his pitcher’s ability to throw strikes throughout fall ball. However, it was not shown on Tuesday in the second game. The Sun Devils gave up seven walks in the last part of the series.

The Sun Devils’ pitching struggles became a microcosm for the rest of the second game. Despite second-year infielder Brenden Lewis going deep, the ASU offense could not find its footing–something Bloomquist has tended to put on the team’s approach in the batter’s box.

With Tuesday’s struggles, the Sun Devils will hope to make significant improvements before they hit the field in the spring.

“We’re not anywhere near where we need to be at this stage of the fall,” Bloomquist said.