ASU Baseball: Van Scoyoc struggles with command as Devils drop series opener to Saint Mary’s

Photo: Karli Matthias (WCSN)

After splitting the home-opening series against Miami (Ohio), Arizona State (2-3) looked to launch themselves over .500 on Friday night in their opening game of three against the Saint Mary’s Gaels (3-2).

However, an early deficit swung the advantage to Saint Mary’s who took the game by a score of 6-1.

Last season, sophomore Spencer Van Scoyoc’s handicap was free passes. In his freshman campaign he allowed 39 of them (30 walks, nine hit batters) in just 28 innings of work.

Through two starts of the season, it seems as if little has changed from the sophomore southpaw in terms of commanding the strike zone.

Van Scoyoc was sent to the showers early on Friday, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits while punching out a pair of Gaels in just 2 and 1/3 innings.

“You can’t construct innings for other teams,” ASU head coach Tracy Smith said. “The margin of error in particular with a young team is really, really small. Some of our immaturity is showing.”

However, the four walks and one hit batsman are where the majority of the frustration is fueled, with a portion of that coming from Smith.

“This is the result where it’s a business, you’ve got to do your job. It has not been the level of performance that we’ve expected up to this point or that we’ve seen,” said Smith about Van Scoyoc’s two outings.

Van Scoyoc has now allowed 11 free passes to his name thus far in 2018.

While Smith has not lost confidence in him, there may be a changing of the guard when the starting rotation is aligned next weekend.

“That young man is going to have to have a big role for us to be good this year,” Smith said. “And maybe it’s not Friday night, but it’s not for lack of trying.”

Sun Devil reliever Fitz Stadler reiterated the message that the team has not thrown away its faith in Van Scoyoc.

“Spencer’s a great pitcher,” Stadler said. “He has it in him and I think [his performance] is going to change in his next start.”

Offensively, ASU hit a bump in the road against Gaels starting right-handed pitcher Nick Frank. Despite another brilliant performance from junior outfielder Gage Canning, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and ASU’s lone RBI, seven of the 10 Sun Devils that recorded an at-bat on Friday combined to go 0-for-20.

“We’re going to have to live with some of these growing pains because [these freshman] have played five games in college,” said Smith.

Frank threw 7.1 dominant innings in which he allowed just one run on seven hits. He also struck out nine ASU hitters.

“We didn’t do a good job of taking something away,” Smith said. “We didn’t take the fastball out of his repertoire, we didn’t make him change.”

Stadler relieved Van Scoyoc of his duties, giving his team 3.2 innings on the mound, allowing just a run on three hits. Redshirt freshman Dellan Raish followed that up with three scoreless frames.

“I was cutting a lot of four seams off and moving two seems in,” said Stadler following ASU’s loss.

Senior left-hander Eli Lingos will be on the bump on Saturday afternoon as ASU will be hungry to get a game back from St. Mary’s with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.