ASU senior Darin Gillies pitches to Oklahoma State, Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The Sun Devils lost to the Cowboys 9-8. (Krista Tillman/The State Press).Darin Gillies pitched two memorable innings in his first Sunday start of the 2015 season.
His third inning, however, was rather forgettable.
Darrin Gillies in 2 innings pitched on May 4, 2014 vs. Oklahoma State: 6 earned runs, 7 hits, 3 walks. Today: 2 hits, no runs, 5 Ks.
— Stefan Modrich (@StefanJModrich) February 15, 2015
After striking out five of the first six Oklahoma State hitters he faced, Gillies (0-1) worked a pair of 1-2 counts on junior center fielder Corey Hassel and Gage Green, only to peg both of them.
Gillies gave up a double to senior second baseman Tim Arakawa, then walked junior designated hitter Conor Costello to set up an RBI single by sophomore first baseman Dustin Williams which put the Cowboys (1-2) ahead 3-0.
Head coach Tracy Smith pulled Gillies from his brief relief appearance Saturday after walking consecutive batters, maintaining his short leash on the senior right-hander Sunday.
The Oklahoma State lineup's awakening didn’t make matters easier on Smith, who was forced to start up his bullpen much earlier than he would have liked, as he noted in Saturday’s press conference after Ryan Kellogg’s five innings of work.
The Cowboys tagged Sun Devil pitchers for 9 runs, six of which came in the first inning, equaling their total output of Friday and Saturday combined.
ASU’s relief committee was bookended by sophomore Eder Erives and sophomore right hander Hever Bueno.
A pair of freshmen in the middle made their college debuts – left-hander Eli Lingos and right-hander Ryan Hingst, who combined to allow six runs in three innings.
Video by Fabian Ardaya | Assistant Sports Editor
“I don’t think there was a fear or a timidness to them,” Smith said. “Whatever happens, you cannot fear the result – good or bad. For the first time, getting a little dirt on their spikes, I was pleased with what I saw.”
Additionally, sophomore Seth Martinez entered in the with one out in the eighth and pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, escaping a bases-loaded jam.
Smith said he trusted Martinez in a late-inning role, but segued back to the theme that’s still lingering around this year’s team – an identity.
“I want to know what I’m getting when I put a guy in the game,” Smith said. “It starts with strikes. There were a couple situations where (Martinez) could have caved, and he didn’t.”
As imposing as a fourth inning 6-0 deficit may have been, a solo home run from junior designated hitter RJ Ybarra initiated a three-run burst to cut the Oklahoma State lead in half.
“When you give up a six-spot, and fight all the way back to get the tying run to the plate, that’s a positive,” Smith said.
On a clear day with minimal wind, the ball seemed to carry out of Phoenix Municipal Stadium with extra velocity.
Sophomore third baseman Kevin Bradley launched a two-run shot over the wall past the Pat Tillman sign in right center to take an 8-5 lead in the bottom of the fifth, and sophomore shortstop Colby Woodmansee hit his second home run of the year to left center in the seventh to make it a 9-8 game.
ASU sent junior right fielder Trever Allen, Ybarra, and and junior left fielder Jake Peevyhouse to the plate in the ninth, but junior closer and JuCo product Koda Clover retired the Sun Devils in order to pick up the save, his first as an Oklahoma State Cowboy.
Coming up short in the ninth with the heart of the order may have stung, but there were plenty of missed opportunities – ASU stranded five base runners – and three of them were abandoned in the fifth inning when Peevyhouse was tagged out attempting to score on a wild pitch with the bases loaded and two outs.
“What I saw, was that (Peevyhouse) got his hand in and he missed him,” Smith said. “The catcher went back a couple times to tag him. It’s a judgement call, tough things are happening pretty quickly for everybody.”
Video by Fabian Ardaya | Assistant Sports Editor
Smith was cognizant that his team had played a quality opponent in Oklahoma State, but wasn't satisfied with taking two of three.
"I've heard that our Sunday was a 'slugfest.' If we're going to make the impression that we need to make, and play the caliber of baseball that we need to play on a national scene, a Sunday is just like a Friday," Smith said. "It needs to be quality, and it needs to be consistent."
ASU plays Oklahoma on Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Reach the reporter at smodrich@asu.edu or on Twitter @StefanJModrich.
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