(Photo: Zina Garcia/WCSN)
PHOENIX — In baseball, it’s uber-important to have a short memory. With so many games on the schedule — around 60 for most NCAA squads — a team cannot become fixated on one isolated result or outcome, even if it adds another tally into the loss column.
On Friday, Arizona State held a two-run lead over Oral Roberts with right-hander Will Koger, one of its highly-touted relievers, taking the mound for the ninth inning. Instead of earning those last three outs and sealing the win, the Sun Devils conceded three unanswered runs that led to a dejecting 8-7 defeat.
Less than 24 hours later, they seemed to have no recollection of the debacle the night before.
ASU’s lineup rebounded from a slow finish to game one, scoring 12 runs on 12 hits, but it was the pitching that ultimately proved the difference. Although Oral Roberts (4-1) tried to hit its way back into the game on multiple occasions, the Sun Devils (5-1) shut it down en route to a commanding 12-5 win to even the weekend series.
“They’ve been resilient,” Bloomquist said. “It’s a small sample size — six games — but each time we’ve given up the lead, these guys have bounced back. Yesterday, obviously we stubbed our toe with the loss yesterday, but they bounced back today. Just keep breathing that confidence and life into these guys, that no matter the situation, they’re going to bounce back and come ready to play.”
Already with a 2-0 lead, the third inning is where ASU’s offense really took off. Junior third baseman Nu’u Contrades got things started with a leadoff double, later advancing to third before he and senior first baseman Jacob Tobias executed a perfect double-steal that brought Contrades across the dish. Junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson and senior shortstop Matt King combined to knock in three more runs.
When the Sun Devils returned to the batter’s box for the fourth, they picked up right where they left off. With one runner on, Contrades launched a 408-foot missile over the fence in left field for a two-run blast — his first home run since April 30, 2023 after missing most of the 2024 campaign with a back injury. Redshirt sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton added a sacrifice fly, and halfway through the game, ASU had already scored nine runs.
A big reason for the Sun Devils’ success at the plate was the fact that they seemed to always put the ball in play. Even when they were getting out, they were making contact and forcing the Golden Eagles’ defense to make plays. As a result, ASU only struck out three times on Saturday.
“The coaches preach ‘put pressure on the defense’ and you can’t really do that if you’re punching out,” junior outfielder Kien Vu said. “We’ve kind of refined our two-strike approach and so if, say, we do get into that hole, it’s battling our butts off to get out of that hole and put something in play.
“It’s emphasized, trying to cut down on strikeouts. Our team goal is six on the day, so I guess we met that goal by only getting three today.”
Contrades and Vu were key contributors for ASU on Saturday, each providing three hits, a home run and two RBI. Unlike Friday, though, ASU’s staff ensured those offensive efforts didn’t go to waste.
Right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez, who kicked off the 2025 campaign as ASU’s Saturday starter, was feeling it right away. After facing the minimum in his first inning of work, he put up two more scoreless frames and had four strikeouts to his name by the third.
With ASU leading 6-0 entering the fourth, however, he began to experience some hiccups. Allowing back-to-back singles to kick off the inning, he then conceded a two-run, one-out double to give Oral Roberts its first runs of the afternoon. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though: Martinez got through the frame in 11 pitches and didn’t have one land outside the zone. However, an inning later, junior outfielder Makani Tanaka crushed a three-run shot that cut the deficit to 9-5.
In both instances, Martinez recovered, limiting the damage the Golden Eagles could cause. He put up another zero in the sixth and finished his day with six strikeouts, five earned runs and nine total baserunners to his name, throwing 93 total pitches.
“I felt it went well,” Martinez said of his start. “I was in the zone a lot. Sometimes you get punished for being in the zone here. I have up a 3-1 ball with two walks, that can’t happen. But, I mean, it does happen, so you just have to keep going and try to get as many outs as you can.”
Even with its pitching keeping Oral Roberts at bay, ASU wasn’t finished causing damage at the plate. With Contrades at first after he led off the sixth with a single, Vu smacked a fly ball that simply kept carrying until it flew over the wall in left-center field. A sacrifice fly from senior catcher Manny Garza marked the Sun Devils’ final run of the day.
ASU getting length out of Martinez’s start was massive, but there were still nine more outs to get in order to close the game out. Through five games this season, the Sun Devils’ bullpen had experienced some struggles, namely last Sunday against Ohio State and Friday’s loss to Oral Roberts. However, ASU found a solution to that issue, at least for one game: sophomore righty Josh Butler.
Butler was one of the few bright spots from the Sun Devils’ bullpen last Sunday, allowing three hits and a run in two innings. Fast-forward about a week, and he looked even better.
The Phoenix, Ariz. native didn’t just shut the Golden Eagles down; he dominated them. Following an eight-pitch seventh that saw him face the minimum with one strikeout, Butler fanned four more in three scoreless innings. He was only responsible for one baserunner — a single conceded to senior second baseman Jack Schark. Now with two strong outings under his belt, Butler has emerged as a reliable bullpen arm for the Sun Devils to turn to.
“I felt great,” Butler said. “It’s easy to come in after a guy like (Martinez) sets the tone and goes the first six. It’s a great feeling knowing that the coaching staff has your back and I got a good defense behind me, too.”
