PHOENIX – Arizona State’s win over St John’s on Sunday afternoon didn’t start smoothly.

The game was sloppy all around for both teams.

ASU sophomore starting pitcher Easton Barrett’s day ended after just 2 ⅓ innings, with the right-hander giving up four walks and two hits in his short-lived start, leading to the Red Storm taking a two-run lead in the third.

However, the Sun Devils rallied. 

Behind a five-run third inning, the Sun Devils (7-0) plated six in the sixth and five in the eighth to cruise to a 16-6 victory and a series sweep over St. John’s (1-6) on Sunday, Feb. 22, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Despite the victory, head coach Willie Bloomquist wasn’t entirely happy with his team’s performance. 

“It got off to another rocky start there, and that was disappointing … ” Bloomquist said. “But we were able to withstand it.”

The runs came in bunches for ASU on Sunday, not courtesy of slugging, but from stringing together base hits. 

The Sun Devils recorded an impressive 18 hits, two of which were doubles, and the other 16 were singles. 

With so few extra-base knocks, ASU needed timely hits, and it got them. The Sun Devils went 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position, good for a .474 batting average.

For a team capable of hitting for power, it’s also an encouraging sign to see their ability to win another way.

“We can beat you by a thousand cuts too,” Bloomquist said.

Sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek was a large part of the success on offense for ASU, going 2-for-4 with a double, a walk and two RBI. 

“We all complement each other really well,” Zavorek said, “and we can just find out a way to win.”

Zavorek was one of six Sun Devils with more than a single hit and one of four with two RBI.

On the other side of the field, ASU held the Red Storm to just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. 

The Sun Devils allowed far too many baserunners, giving up eight walks and nine hits as a team. They were, however, able to work around these runners. 

While ASU’s pitchers did well avoiding the big inning, Bloomquist said he doesn’t see allowing so many baserunners as sustainable. 

“The grace period, I think, is about over,” Bloomquist said.

While Bloomquist said limiting self-inflicted mistakes on the mound is crucial, he pointed toward a different type of mental error on Sunday.

Sophomore catcher Brody Briggs led off the third and hit a fly ball to left field that should have been routine for junior left fielder Lewis Rodriguez. However, Rodriguez lost the ball in the sun, and the ball fell for a single.

Briggs wasn’t hustling out of the batter’s box and only ended up at first base. Bloomquist believed Briggs could easily have been at second if he’d been running hard out of the box.

“It was a standard thing,” Bloomquist said. “We don’t run balls hard out of the box and we’re not going to play.”

Bloomquist noted this act was an uncharacteristic mistake by Briggs, yet still benched the sophomore to send a message. 

“I absolutely love (Briggs),” Bloomquist said. “He plays his a– off every time he’s out there. He just made a mistake, and he’ll learn from it.”

After Barrett’s rough outing Sunday, Bloomquist alluded to a move to the bullpen for him, although he didn’t make any official decision.

“The ball hasn’t been exploding out of his hand like it was this fall and this spring … ” Bloomquist said. “We’re going to need (Barrett) to be good, whether that’s in a starting role or a different role.”

Another problem that led to too much traffic for St. John’s was a slue defensive miscues. ASU had four errors in the game, allowing two unearned runs. 

The Sun Devils were also the beneficiary of three errors by the Red Storm, gifts that are unlikely to come by with ASU’s next opponents.

The reason Bloomquist’s self-proclaimed “grace period” is coming to a close is due to the Sun Devils’ upcoming schedule. 

While ASU has taken care of business the first 10 days of the season, leaping out to a 7-0 record, the schedule is about to turn up a notch.

Starting Tuesday, the Sun Devils will play five games against SEC opponents over six days, all on the road. 

ASU plays Oklahoma in a two-game series in Norman, then travels to the Amegy Bank College Baseball series in Arlington, Texas, where the Sun Devils face Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

“These things that we have to get cleaned up will rear their heads a lot more against better teams like those,” Bloomquist said.

The next week will be a tough slate, but the Sun Devils are also seeing it as an opportunity to put themselves in the national conversation. 

“We’re just ready to go out and show the nation what we’re made of." Zavorek said. “I think we’re a little bit slept on right now.”