ASU Baseball: Stellar Bullpen Performance Helps Carry the Sun Devils Over UNLV

On a night where former ASU and MLB baseball legend Barry Bonds was in the house, ASU baseball pieced together a gutty performance to improve to 11-12.

Both teams came into the game needing a win badly. The Rebels were on a seven game losing streak, and ASU baseball had dropped five of their last six games. Something had to give.

Early on UNLV jumped all over ASU’s starting pitcher, Zach Dixon. The Rebels scored four earned runs on Dixon and forced head coach Tracy Smith to make a move to the bullpen early.

It was absolutely crucial for head coach Tracy Smith that his bullpen slow the UNLV batters down. Alec Marsh and Connor Higgins would do just that. The pitchers combined to strikeout seven and give up zero earned runs over the last seven and two thirds innings.

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Higgins in particular was impressive for the Sun Devils, shutting down the UNLV offense by using his fastball and slider. Higgins after the game said, “A good two pitch mix down in the zone was working tonight.”

Coach Smith preaches to his pitchers the importance of locating their second pitch, and both Higgins and Marsh were able to accomplish that tonight.

“Without those guys coming in the back end, the result could have definitely been different,” said coach Smith.

After trailing 4-0 early, the Sun Devils took little time to answer back, as Gage Canning would wallop a ball to deep right field for a two-RBI triple in the second inning. In the fourth, Zach Cerbo came just feet away from a home run, but would still plate Carter Aldrete on a sac-fly, making the Rebels lead just 4-3 heading into the fifth inning.

In the bottom half of the sixth the Sun Devils were able to gain their first lead of the night. DH Tyler Williams smashed a ball over the left field fence for a two-run home run, making it a 5-4 ASU lead.

On hitting a home run on the same night that the home run king is in the house, Williams said, “Knowing that Barry Bonds is there you want to show him a little something something.” Williams certainly did that with what would turn out to be the go-ahead and stay-ahead run of the ball game.

Perhaps inspired by the Gold Glove Champion Barry Bonds’ talk before the game, the Sun Devils’ defense was exceptional. Gage Canning made a great catch running dangerously close to the right field wall in the second inning to save a run. Shortstop Carter Aldrete helped turn two clutch double plays to get the Sun Devils out of the fourth and fifth innings unscathed.

Smith spoke highly of his team after the game saying, “When a ground ball is hit in the direction of Carter Aldrete I’m not wondering if we’re going to make the play, I know we’re going to make the play.”

Next: Devils in Detail Live: Episode 7

The Sun Devils (11-12) will stay at home for a weekend series versus UCLA. An opportunity to start gathering those all important conference victories which have eluded the Sun Devils thus far in the young Pac-12 season.

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