(Photo: Sammy Nute/WCSN)
PHOENIX — Although Arizona State baseball handily defeated UC San Diego 15-5 on Tuesday night, the game didn’t always seem like it would be a blowout, with the Sun Devils trailing 4-2 after the top of the third.
However, ASU took a 6-3 lead with a four-run third and never looked back, scoring 12 of the game’s final 13 runs. This was an expected result for a historic program going against a team in only its fifth Division I season, but any win this late into the year is big with the Sun Devils fighting for a top-nine spot in the Pac-12 to qualify for the conference tournament.
On Wednesday, ASU didn’t need nearly as much time to find its groove as the night before. While they went down 1-0 after the top of the first, the Sun Devils (23-22, 12-12 Pac-12) responded early and often, plating 19 runs on 18 hits in a 19-4 win over UC San Diego (26-15, 13-9 Big West). 10 ASU hitters recorded knocks in the win, with six enjoying multi-hit performances.
“(We) swung the bats better tonight,” head coach Willie Bloomquist, who called Tuesday’s hitting performance “okay”, said. “A lot of harder contact and good swings with runners in scoring position, so all in all, top to bottom, that felt like we had 18 hits tonight… (It) felt much better, (a) more productive offense tonight, and louder runs if that makes sense. But the swung the bats very well.”
After junior first baseman Jacob Tobias and senior third baseman Mario Demera each recorded RBI base knocks to make the score 4-1 in the bottom of the first. Then graduate shortstop Steven Ondina, who went 3-for-4 on Tuesday, entered the batter’s box with two runners on.
During the fifth inning of game one against the Tritons, Ondina belted an RBI triple into center field, which headlined another strong performance for the Puerto Rico native. However, he one-upped himself on Wednesday, as he deposited a three-run shot 396 feet into left-center field, putting ASU ahead by six.
Ondina, who now has knocks in five consecutive games, has become a critical component of the bottom of ASU’s order, hitting .303 through 47 contests this year.
“(Ondina’s production) is big not only from the standpoint of team contributing,” Bloomquist said. “But just having him down at the bottom of the order, setting the table for the guys at the top… He’s usually pretty productive with guys in scoring position, so he’s been getting on and those guys at the bottom have been doing a good job of getting on base.”
The Sun Devils tallied four more home runs on the night, most notably with freshman second baseman Ethan Mendoza hitting his first career homer in the second and sophomore outfielder Kien Vu launching a mammoth, 480-foot grand slam — seven feet farther than any home run hit in Major League Baseball so far this season — two frames later.
With three knocks in four at-bats on Wednesday, Vu is hitting .450 on the season. Entering the game, he led the Pac-12 with a .438 average. After officially tallying enough at-bats to qualify, Vu’s batting average is second in the nation and trails only projected No. 1 Overall Pick Georgia infielder Charlie Condon.
“These were my expectations, I definitely exceeded my expectations (for this season),” Vu said. “I’m just trying to have quality at-bats, I guess. I think that attitude I’ve had is kind of what set me up for the results that I’m getting… I don’t know how to put it into words, but (it) feels great. It’s a crazy feeling, and it’s kind of surreal. So I’m just trying to stay focused and not let myself get wrapped up in those numbers.”
As ASU’s lineup continued to fire on all cylinders, the staff delivered a solid performance. Freshman lefty Cole Carlon provided a solid two innings of work, traversing the second frame while needing only five pitches. Freshman righty Wyatt Halvorson and freshman southpaw Bradyn Barnes combined for two scoreless frames in the third and fourth.
While freshman righty Jaden Alba and redshirt sophomore right-hander Tyler Meyer each ran into trouble, conceding two and four earned runs, respectively, it was too little and too late for UC San Diego. Although ASU surrendered eight runs on the night, the Sun Devil arms that featured when the game was competitive were efficient.
“That second inning that (Carlon) pitched was in like seven or eight pitches,” Mendoza said. “That’s a game-changer. (When) you’re hitting, you want to get back to hitting. That can help us in the future to win a bunch of ball games. If the pitching just keeps it up there and just attacks them and lets our defense work, we will win ball games.”
With Wednesday’s victory, the Sun Devils have won eight of their last 10 and currently sit at ninth in the Pac-12, barely making the cut for the conference tournament. If ASU has any shot at making the NCAA Tournament this season, it’ll most likely be through the Pac-12 Tournament, meaning every game going forward will be paramount to solidifying ASU’s positioning within the Conference of Champions.
“They should be hopefully pretty loose and excited,” Bloomquist said of his team’s mentality. “They’ve put up a lot of runs the last couple of days. Feel good about yourself, but understand that,‘Hey, we’ve got another tough weekend this weekend against Washington.’ We’ll enjoy it here for a little bit, but then turn the page and get ready for those guys.”
