Pitching Powers Sun Devils to win over BYU in Series Opener

(Photo: Nickolas Montei/WCSN)

PHOENIX – On a night where Arizona State baseball needed length out of junior lefty Ben Jacobs and a shutdown night from the bullpen, it got just that. Jacobs was the star on the mound as he dominated Brigham Young batters, including striking out three in the fourth.

ASU (26-16, 12-7 Big 12) defeated BYU (20-19, 6-13 Big 12) 8-3 in a game where it only used three pitchers. ASU used six pitchers in its midweek contest two days ago, so quality pitching was key if the Sun Devils wanted to put themselves in a position to sweep conference rival BYU.

Jacobs tied his career high of innings pitched at 6.1 and set his career best of batters faced with 29, mowing down the Cougars with 11 strikeouts. This is the first time in his career that he recorded double-digit strikeouts in consecutive starts. Jacobs went to his splitter after primarily using his fastball to start the day, which fooled BYU hitters.

“He was throwing (his splitter) for strikes while putting it where he wanted to,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “When he has that split working, it’s a whole other pitch that makes him very difficult.”

After Jacobs dominated, junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Kelly and sophomore lefty Cole Carlon took their turns fooling Cougar batters, putting zeros on the scoreboard. The ASU bullpen has recorded three shutouts in April, with Kelly and Carlon being the lone pitchers to appear in those shutouts, Carlon appearing in all of them.

Jacobs has improved throughout the season as he has thrown over 100 pitches in his last six starts. Jacobs has seen his home run numbers go down, as he has only allowed two over his last eight games compared to five in the first three.

Jacobs was still rolling at the end of his outing as he struck out four of his last six batters he faced and retired the last seven batters he faced. Jacobs had another stretch early where he retired seven consecutive batters.

“Splitter was working a lot tonight,” Jacobs said. “Threw that more than I usually do, threw it to lefties too.”

Jacobs had a few rough patches as he walked his first two batters to start the fifth, as that is something that he has struggled with on occasion. One of those scored on a sac fly.

His roughest inning was the first inning, where he allowed three consecutive hits that scored two runs. Jacobs also had three wild pitches, the most of his career.

Kelly has had a rough patch by his standards as of late, as he has allowed runs in two of his last four appearances. Before that, Kelly started the season with nine consecutive scoreless outings. Kelly sits at a 2.12 ERA after his performance of only allowing a hit in 1.2 innings. He tied his season high in strikeouts with three.

“For Lucas to say he’s had a tough go, that raises my eyebrows a little bit,” Bloomquist said. “I’d love to see him when he thinks he’s good, because I thought he’s been pretty dang good so far.”

Like Kelly, Carlon has had a rough patch by his standards as of late, as he has allowed runs in two of his last four appearances. After having a solid start to the year, Carlon went on a seven-game streak of not allowing a run. Carlon sits at a 2.04 ERA after his second consecutive game where he did not allow a baserunner in the inning he pitched.

The Sun Devil offense rolled once again, with the middle infielders being the stars of the show. Senior shortstop Matt King caused the most damage as he had three RBIs and two hits. King continues to be hot, extending his on-base streak to 18.

Redshirt junior Kyle Walker scored all four times he reached base, extending his on-base streak to 30. He has continued to be a nuisance at the top of the lineup, not only by hitting well but also stealing bases and walking, which he did in the game.

“Having that veteran leadership on the team, it’s essential to be a good team,” freshman left fielder Landon Hairston said. “Seeing how they go about their business has been huge for me, being a young guy.”

Sophomore designated hitter Jax Ryan reached base all four times he came to the plate. Ryan, who has had limited action all year, could be a player that Bloomquist will have a hard time keeping out of the lineup. Ryan played in place of redshirt sophomore Brandon Compton, who had started every game this season.

Hairston slugged his third home run of the year, all coming in his last seven games. Hairston has emerged in the ASU lineup as a quality hitter that Bloomquist has not had to make any changes to. Hairston has been using his and senior first baseman Jacob Tobias’ bat, which is heavier.

“I would never suggest anything of the sort; these kids have minds of their own,” Bloomquist said. “I had not heard of the heavier bat thing until now.”

Junior right fielder Kien Vu showed signs of his old self as he was able to create chaos on the basepaths, something that has not been seen since his high ankle sprain. He reached on a fielder’s choice before stealing second and third. On the play at third, BYU second baseman Luke Anderson made a throwing error that allowed Vu to score.

Junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades had another productive day as he raised his on-base streak to 49 games. Contrades went two for three on the day.

“It’s a lot easier when you’re pitching for each other rather than just for your stats,” Jacobs said. “It means a lot more when you’re fighting for each other.”