(Photo: Xavier Litman/WCSN)
While Arizona State baseball earned a 6-4 victory to clinch the weekend series against UC Davis on Saturday, the mood postgame didn’t match the result. Head coach Willie Bloomquist called out his group for becoming complacent after taking a 3-0 lead in the first inning. The Sun Devils didn’t post another run until the fifth and were outscored 4-3 throughout the remaining eight frames.
But on Sunday, it was a completely different story.
On the heels of another three-run first inning, ASU (9-7) never let its foot off the gas pedal, outscoring the Aggies (5-8) 14-4 the rest of the way in a dominant 17-4 decision. Recording 20 hits as a team — eight more than they had 24 hours ago — 10 different Sun Devils logged at least one base knock on Sunday.
“It was more not letting at-bats go by without doing damage,” junior second baseman Luke Keaschall said on how ASU’s approach at the plate was different today. “Every time we stepped to the plate, it’s no different … Just because you’re up by a couple of runs, it’s never enough, you’ve got to get in there and do the same thing every single inning.”
Much like their bats, the Sun Devils’ starting pitching also saw a resurgence following a shaky two-week stretch. After dominant performances from junior southpaw Ross Dunn and junior righty Khristian Curtis in games one and two, it was junior right-hander Jonah Giblin who got the nod Sunday for his first Division I start. The Seattle native, who spent last season playing at Phoenix College, had already cemented himself as one of ASU’s most reliable relievers and quickly showed he could also be depended on in the starter role.
One of Giblin’s greatest strengths is his ability to get through innings efficiently and earn three outs by tossing very few pitches. And the right-hander did just that, throwing 62 total pitches and three strikeouts while conceding four hits in 5.0 innings of work. Giblin maintained his command throughout his entire start, throwing 43 strikes and allowing no baserunners via walks.
“It was definitely business as usual,” Giblin said. “I just like to get out there and fill up the zone and have my guys work behind me, that’s really it … It was definitely a great opportunity to just show what I have and show what I can do as a starter. [You] keep getting opportunities and you take advantage of them, good things will happen.”
Several members of ASU’s freshman class experienced an impressive start to this season — third baseman Nu’u Contrades, center fielder Isaiah Jackson and outfielder Kien Vu have all contributed to the team thus far — but none have delivered more than shortstop Luke Hill. That sentiment held true on Sunday, as the former No. 2 overall shortstop in Louisiana once again displayed prowess on both sides of the ball.
Hill’s first big moment came in the top of the second with two UCD runners on and one out. Freshman infielder Braydon Wooldridge smacked a line drive right in the direction of Hill, who made the snag midair before tagging second for an impressive unassisted double play.
During the following half-frame, the Louisiana native struck again, hitting a double into center field and driving in two of ASU’s six second-inning runs. Hill finished his day going 3-5 at the plate with three doubles, three RBI and a walk and has continued to be a focal point of the Sun Devils’ offense.
“Yeah, the kid’s a stud,” said Keaschall, who has taken Hill under his wing this season. “He just gets up there and [has a] see ball, hit ball approach. He just seems like he hits a line drive every at-bat … he’s doing a great job at what he does, he plays the game hard and he’s playing the game the right way now.”
With the victory, ASU earns its first sweep since opening weekend against San Diego State, which also took place at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils are 9-7 with one more midweek game against Utah Tech before they open conference play in Salt Lake City against Utah. For Bloomquist, the key to success remains coming to the plate every day and maintaining a high level of competition.
“That’s the part where I sometimes get frustrated, is kind of having that killer instinct and coming ready to play every day,” Bloomquist said. “Whatever that is to get you ready, you’ve got to figure out something … get pissed off at something and get ready to play.”
