(Photo: Joshua Eaton/WCSN)
PHOENIX — Entering the bottom of the ninth, Arizona State baseball was getting boat-raced by Texas Tech, trailing 12-3. The offense showed little signs of life against Red Raider junior right-handed starter Zane Petty.
ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist then rolled out four consecutive pinch hitters to try to get an offensive spark. The first two were sophomore infielder Jax Ryan and freshman infielder Beckett Zavorek, who both singled. Freshman infielder Ky McGary then walked, loading the bases, which started to put pressure on Texas Tech.
This hunger from the Arizona State (25-15, 11-7 Big 12) bench allowed the team to extend its life into a game that unraveled from them. The momentum was built upon by some of the starters left in the game before ultimately falling short against Texas Tech (12-23, 8-10 Big 12) by a score of 12-8 as the second half of a doubleheader that featured the final two innings of the game that started on Friday.
“We’re trying to keep those guys A) involved and B) as sharp as we possibly can,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “These other guys need an opportunity at times, and that’s something I gotta evaluate on.”
With the bases juiced, redshirt junior outfielder Jonathon Hernandez then hit a sacrifice fly that sophomore centerfielder Kyeler Thompson almost dropped. The lead was cut to eight as Hernandez was pinch-hitting for junior right fielder Kien Vu. Zavorek then scored on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to seven. Junior center fielder Isaiah Jackson walked, which was enough to cause concern for Texas Tech, as they had a mound visit.
What they discussed yielded some positive results for the Red Raiders, as graduate student catcher Josiah Cromwick hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring McGary, in a pinch-hit appearance. Cromwick was given an off day after three straight games of catching, including the portions in the last three days, in favor of sophomore catcher Brody Briggs.
Redshirt junior second baseman Kyle Walker hit a two-run home run, his third on the year, scoring Cromwick, making the game truly in doubt again. Then, freshman utility Landon Hairston grounded out, ending the rally and the Sun Devil hopes.
Sophomore righty Logan Bevis pitched the ninth after Petty dominated the ASU batters, with Petty going on to allow eight baserunners in as many innings.
“He hit his spots a couple times today,” Hairston said. “I think as an offense, we could have done a lot better with that.”
Ryan has recorded a hit in six of his last seven games, batting .348 in that stretch. Ryan has scored a run in his last three games. Zavorek is batting .468 in his limited playing time in the year that has been hampered by an injury.
“I’m not overly surprised,” Bloomquist said of Zavorek. “I’m trying to figure out ways to get him in the game.”
Getting the two middle infielders into games is a challenge for Bloomquist as they sit behind two of the hottest bats in the ASU lineup, senior shortstop Matt King and Walker, respectively. Both King and Walker have had double-digit game hit streaks fall recently, and both have had an on-base streak of over 15 games. Walker’s streak is up to 29 games, the second highest on the team.
McGary has three walks on the year in seven plate appearances with an on-base percentage of .571. Hernandez is batting sluggishly, only at .174 on the year. The two outfielders sit behind a quartet of outfielders who are steady hitters like Jackson and Hairston.
Ryan pinch hit for senior first baseman Jacob Tobias, who went 0-4 on the day, including a groundout in the first game. Zavorek pinch hit for junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades. Contrades went 1-3 in the game, extending his on-base streak to 48 consecutive games.
McGary pinch hit for redshirt junior Brandon Compton, and Cromwick hit for Briggs, who both went 0-3. Hernandez pinch hit for Vu, who was the first batter to reach base after the first inning with a double in the fifth, as he went 1-3 on the day.
In the past, Bloomquist has emphasized having the offense get the ball up. After the game, he was not pleased with that specifically, as he cursed twice in three seconds about how the offense could not do that.
The four pinch hitters only had 85 at-bats between them coming into the game, with 46 from Ryan. This willingness to keep fighting when they were down might force Bloomquist to play them more frequently.
“They did what they were supposed to do,” Bloomquist said. “Maybe I should have considered starting those guys.”
