Down to the final strike, Arizona State junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Kelly stood calm and composed on the mound with the tying run on second base Friday night against Minnesota.
Kelly entered the ninth inning inheriting a runner on second after a leadoff double off left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick. After routinely retiring the first two, senior center fielder Parker Knoll ripped a game-tying triple off the glove of ASU’s junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson, tying the game in an eventual 7-6 loss in extra innings.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jonah Giblin ultimately earned the loss as he gave up the go-ahead home run in the 10th inning.
All while ASU closer senior right-hander Will Koger sat in the bullpen and watched.
“I didn’t want to burn him,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said regarding using an already warm Kelly instead of the team’s closer Koger.
“I felt confident in those two guys,” Bloomquist said concerning Fitzpatrick and Kelly.
Perhaps the decision not to use Koger resulted from an appearance a week ago against Oral Roberts in which he allowed three runs and recorded a blown save. Instead, Bloomquist opted for the matchup, the lefty Fitzpatrick vs. lefty sophomore pinch-hitter Brayden Hellum.
Hellum doubled, just missing a game-tying home run by a matter of feet, as the ball hit the top of the left-centerfield wall. Fitzpatrick then entered for his third appearance in four days.
“I’m ready whenever they need me,” Fitzpatrick said whenever Bloomquist calls his name. “I’m just blessed to get to pitch and play at this school.”
Bloomquist said he plans to continue giving Fitzpatrick high-leverage opportunities despite today’s setback.
As for the starting pitching, junior left-handed starter Ben Jacobs provided the length necessary to support his bullpen.
The lefty pitched six strong innings of four-run baseball, including four strikeouts and five hits. Jacobs’ effort aided a bullpen coming off back-to-back bullpen-heavy games vs. UCLA on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“It makes our job in the pen easy,” Fitzpatrick said. “You can’t ask for anything better.”
Bridging the gap to the back end of the pen was sophomore right-hander Josh Butler, who worked a solid one and a third inning. The lone run Butler allowed came on a hard-hit ball to junior second baseman Kyle Walker, a play that ate him up on the short hop.
Friday night’s game also featured another play inches away from being made.
On the Knoll game-tying triple, Jackson came within inches of successfully catching the ball. Jackson collided against the right centerfield wall, losing the ball off his glove on first contact with the wall.
Entering the ninth inning, the ASU bullpen had allowed just one earned run across 21 innings, a streak that appeared to guide a struggling bullpen in a new direction.
Tonight proved that the Sun Devils’ bullpen did not take a step forward but rather regressed to reality: a crowded bullpen that lacks impact relievers.
Saturday, the ASU bullpen has a chance to redeem itself behind starter Jack Martinez, who collected a win in six innings of work vs. Oral Roberts last Saturday.
Bloomquist said the team’s bullpen won’t be affected by tonight, and all arms besides Fitzpatrick and Butler are ready to go.
Leave a Reply