Small ball, bullpen play key in 3-1 ASU victory over St. John’s

-TPHOENIX– Arizona State (6-0) took down St. John’s (1-5) for the second day in a row, in a game that featured a rare low-scoring game at Phoenix Municipal Stadium, resulting in a 3-1 ASU victory. 

Pitching carries

Junior right-hander Colin Linder struggled with his pitch count for the second straight start, taking him 83 pitches to get through 4.2 innings. He has averaged just under 19 pitches per inning this season, which is almost three more than any other pitcher who came in Saturday’s game with at least four innings pitched. 

Despite the high pitch count, Linder more than kept ASU in the game. He allowed just a single run to cross and recorded five strikeouts. It was just his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery. 

“That’s really hard to do coming off of an injury like that,” junior right-hander Derek Schaefer said. “Huge props to him.”

The bullpen combined for 4.1 scoreless innings. Senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick faced just a single batter, but got a three-pitch strikeout with the bases loaded in likely the most important at-bat of the game.

“Our job is to pick each other up,” Fitzpatrick said. “We did a good job of that today.”

Schaefer received his second save opportunity of the season, the only two ASU has had. 

“It takes a different breed to come out of the pen and close games,” Bloomquist said. “It’s like he’s calmer when he comes in in the ninth, and to have that demeanor and that late-inning guy that can do that is extremely valuable.”

Schaefer retired all three guys in order, including the final being a strikeout looking. 

Small ball gives offense breathing room

The offense needed more help from the pitching staff than it has so far this season. The Sun Devils recorded just two extra-base hits, five overall. 

Sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston and junior infielder Nu’u Contrades both had quiet games following their scorching starts.

The duo combined for just one hit, a Contrades RBI single in the third, putting more pressure on the rest of the offense. 

One of the other runs came on a suicide-squeeze from sophomore infielder Austen Roellig that scored Smaldino in the fifth. 

“We were having a hard time squaring anything up today,” Bloomquist said. “I wanted to get that run across…I don’t like playing for one, but in that type of game, one run is big…the last thing I wanted to do on a first and third situation was take the chance at hitting into a double play.”

The Sun Devils will play their third and final game of the series against the Red Storm Sunday at 1:05 p.m. MST. Despite the daunting week ahead of them, facing four SEC opponents over five games, Bloomquist is still honed in on SJU. 

“We got to come and do our job tomorrow,” Bloomquist said. “Once the 27 outs are made tomorrow, then we’ll look at the next ones.”