PHOENIX — There was no telling how the Gold team would bounce back after their 8-2 loss to the Maroon team in the first game of Arizona State baseball’s Maroon and Gold World Series, but it seemed like they were out for blood.
Heading into the final inning of this back-and-forth game, Gold was ahead with a 12-11 lead, needing just three outs to close out the game. That didn’t mean much, though, after sophomore Landon Hairston led off the inning with a game-tying home run, putting the game at 12 each.
Two more outs followed before graduate outfielder Matt Polk sent a ball towering over the fence, giving Maroon their lead back heading into the bottom half.
Junior Florida State-transfer Brady Louck got the ball for Maroon with the hopes of closing it out, but things didn’t go as planned. After a two-out single from redshirt sophomore infielder Austen Roelling, graduate outfielder and UNLV-transfer Dean Toigo was down to his final strike. With his back against the wall, he smacked a two-run shot into right field to walk it off for Gold and win 14-13. In a seven-inning game that saw over 20 runs and more than 25 hits between the two teams, Gold pulled through and tied the series at one apiece.
This final inning summed up the whole game. Right from the start, it looked like Gold had this game in the bag after just the first inning.
After a clean top of the first from starter, UNLV-transfer junior Alex Overbay, Gold came out swinging in the bottom half, getting on the board right away with a leadoff homer from redshirt junior infielder Nu’u Contrades.
Gold followed up with another run on an RBI-double from infielder Cal-transfer Dominic Smaldino before they exploded with back-to-back homers — a three-run shot from catcher Coen Niclai and a solo-bomb from fellow catcher Cooper Clouser — to go up 6-0 after just one inning.
Overbay was stellar on the mound, starting for the Gold. After not making a single start in 2025 with UNLV, Overbay delivered Thursday, going 2.1 innings and only allowing the two runs. On the other side, Gold was able to get to Maroon’s starter and one of ASU’s aces, Cole Carlon, not even allowing him to get out of the first inning.
Another homer, this time from redshirt junior Jonny Garber, put Maroon on the board for the first time in the game, but that was quickly answered by Gold, who brought a run in on a bases-loaded walk to go up 7-2.
Maroon responded in the top of the fourth with back-to-back singles to start the inning, and a two-out two-RBI double from sophomore infielder Beckett Zavorek gave them life, only down 7-4.
But, once again, though, Gold answered right back.
A one-out single from Smaldino, who then stole second, came around to score thanks to an RBI-double from junior Utah Valley-transfer Dominic Longo, who then came around to score on another RBI-hit for Gold, this time from Niclai, going up 9-4.
Maroon wasn’t going down without a fight, though.
Hits from Hairston and redshirt junior Virginia Tech-transfer Garrett Michel started off the fifth before a two-RBI error from Gold’s pitcher, sophomore Josh Butler, allowed both of them to cross the plate on a two-RBI error.
After two more walks from Butler, the second coming on a balk, he was pulled for senior lefty Sean Fitzpatrick, who allowed another run to come in on an RBI-double from Zavorek, pulling them within one.
Even more scoring happened in the sixth for both teams, bringing the game to a 12-11 score. Of the seven innings played today, only three half-innings resulted in zero runs, with two of those coming on 1-2-3 innings by the pitchers.
The first 1-2-3 inning in today’s game came from sophomore righty Eli Buxton, who had come in the inning before and faced just one batter, closing the inning out with a strikeout. He was given another inning after, but he wasn’t able to get out of it, getting pulled with two outs and a man on second.
The only other 1-2-3 came in the bottom of the fifth from freshman righty Ryan Caruso. This came after he had finished the last inning with a fly-out, and he was good for another inning, but two hits ended his day.
As for the hitting, both sides were outstanding. For Maroon, their lineup was highlighted by Zavorek, who finished 2-3 with two doubles and an intentional walk, Hairston, who went 3-4 with a walk and a homer, and sophomore outfielder Ky McGary, who reached three times with two hits and a HBP.
As for the Gold side, Longo led the charge, reaching base four times thanks to two hits and two walks. They also had help from Smaldino, who went 3-3 with two doubles and a walk, and Oregon-transfer Coen Niclai, who finished the game a perfect 3-3 with a walk and a homer.
Game three of the series will be on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
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