Arizona State (22-21) continued to swing hot bats at the plate and claimed a 17-2 win over USC (20-23) Saturday night at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Sophomore left fielder Kien Vu and junior catcher Ryan Campos led the way with a combined nine RBI in the win, despite being pulled after the sixth inning.
The Devils jumped on the Trojans early with home runs by Vu, senior designated hitter Eamonn Lance, and sophomore center fielder Isaiah Jackson in the first frame. Arizona State sent all nine batters to the plate in the inning, grasping a 5-0 lead for senior starting pitcher Connor Markl.
Markl continued to pitch well, allowing just one run over six innings on the hill. Saturday’s performance marked the seventh consecutive start of at least five innings for Markl.
“I mean, when we score a bunch of runs, the game plan kind of changes a little bit,” Markl said. “ I don’t have to rely on throwing as many offspeeds as I typically do trying to punch guys out, whatever it is. When we get all these runs, it’s just get contact now. I like it because it helps me get through the innings quicker.”
Markl’s performance boosted the confidence of the other players according to ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist.
“He’s a calming presence and he’s always going to go out and be pretty steady Eddie and solid for us,” he said. “Whether or not we have a great Friday, he’s a guy that we can win the series… He’s a guy that can calm the waters because he is very consistent and knocks on wood. You can pretty much count on what you’re going to get out of him.”
After a leadoff single by Campos in the fourth, Vu launched his second home run of the game over the Devils’ bullpen in right. The two-run blast was Vu’s eighth long ball of the season and secured his first career two-homer game.
Campos reached base for the fifth time in the sixth inning with his fourth single of the ballgame, knocking in Jackson from third.. With runners on the corners, Vu pulled a fastball inside the right field line and cleared the bases for a two-run triple.
“I don’t think I’ve ever hit like this in my life,” Vu said. “The coaching staff has been great, just honing in on my approach. I also have been talking to the school’s sports psychologist and he’s helped a lot with my approach.”
After a slow start to the year, Campos has become the focal point of the Sun Devils’ offense. Campos finished with a career-high five hits including a double and three RBI.
“I knew it was just a matter of time before the sweet swing would start coming back and the results would start piling up and you have five hits tonight and it’s just the kid’s incredible,” Bloomquist said. “I’m not surprised, but very happy for him.”
The victory pushes ASU’s winning streak to five games, their longest such streak since 2016. The Devils have outscored their opponents 55-8 throughout the streak,
“I think these last five games have kind of shown what we can do, and [now] it’s just about carrying it,” Vu said. “If we stick to our approach and use this momentum that we have, it’ll be a fun season still”
The pitching staff has seen its lows this season, but recently the arms have found more rhythm, holding each opponent during the winning streak to three runs or fewer. Campos said the team knew the pitchers would eventually sort through their early season woes.
“One thing I will say is baseball is an up-and-down sport,” Campos said. “A lot of people point fingers and stuff. Social media wasn’t really great towards us when we were having our skid, but we stuck to our guns and now we’re winning and everyone’s acting like we changed everything. We just stuck to ourselves. So, I think it’s a testament to the coaching.”
Sun Devil legend Andre Ethier, who spent his entire 12-year MLB career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was in attendance with his family for his bobblehead night. Bloomquist understood the importance of having alumni like Ethier around the clubhouse.
“Whether we’re playing great or not, we want those guys around and sharing their knowledge and experience with these guys so they really know how special it is,” Bloomquist said. “I can sit up here and preach all day long to them, but until those guys actually start coming back and being a part of it and continuing to stay a part of it, then that makes it that much more special.”
The Sun Devils will try to close out the series sweep on Sunday afternoon with senior right-hander Hunter Omlid on the mound.
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