PHOENIX - While the final box looked more akin to a football score than anything, it was Sun Devil Baseball that kicked the extra point and held on to a 14-13 victory to clinch the season-opening series over Santa Clara on Saturday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
The afternoon matinee barnburner featured 31 combined hits between the Sun Devils (2-0) and the Broncos (0-2). ASU had 16 of those, three courtesy of Isaiah Jackson, who recorded a career-best six RBIs - including the go-ahead two-run shot in the sixth inning.
The back end of the Sun Devil pen was able to stymie the Bronco offensive attack with Hunter Omlid putting up a much-needed zero in the eighth after SCU had scored nine runs in the previous four innings, setting the table for Cole Carlon's first career save in his collegiate debut.
Nu'u Contrades added a grand slam in a huge eight-run third inning while Jacob Tobias notched three hits and a huge solo shot that tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after Santa Clara had reclaimed the lead in the top half of the frame.
TURNING POINT
Offense was the name of the game on Saturday with ASU taking a 10-4 lead in the fourth only to see Santa Clara score eight runs to claim a 12-11 lead after the top half of the sixth inning. With the Sun Devils on their heels, Jacob Tobias immediately assuaged the nerves with a leadoff homer to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame - his second long ball in as many days.
BIG MOMENT
Isaiah Jackson already had four RBIs on the day when he stepped to the plate after a Kevin Karstetter walk following Tobias' homer. The sophomore continue his incredible two-game tear by getting a hold of a fastball right over the plate for what he said afterward was the longest home run of his career - batting practice included. The ball sailed over the Whiteman Family Performance Center in right field, giving ASU a 14-12 lead it would hang on to for the remainder.
FINAL STRAW
The lead certainly seemed precarious, given SCU's offensive prowess in the game and the Sun Devils desperately needed a stop. After the Broncos clawed on across in the seventh to get back within a run, ASU turned to Hunter Omlid in the eighth and the veteran transfer posted the first zero in the box score since the third inning. ASU left an insurance run in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, leaving true freshman Cole Carlon to make his collegiate debut in the ninth and facing the top of the Santa Clara order - including JonJon Berring and his 5-for-9 average and 7 RBIs for the weekend. The frosh was unfazed, retiring the side on just 12 pitches to seal the save and the series for the Sun Devils.
NOTABLES
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
In his Sun Devil debut, Connor Markl threw a strike-heavy first inning, retiring the side in order on eight strikes in 11 pitches.
Nu'u Contrades worked a one-out double and Ryan Campos drew a walk. An infield fly to Jacob Tobias preceded and infield single from Kevin Karstetter, loading the bases for the red-hot Isaiah Jackson, who responded with a first-pitch single right back up the middle to plate two and give ASU an early 2-0 lead.
Second Inning
Santa Clara started the inning with back-to-back hits, but gets a flyout to left, a strikeout immediately after. A liner into centerfield would put them on the board with two outs. A sharp ground ball to Contrades put them at the corners for Markl, but a double gave the Broncos the lead by two. Markl escaped the inning with a strikeout.
Steven Ondina bunted for a single with one out, but the Devils left him stranded on the basepaths.
Third Inning
Markl gave up a two-strike HBP on the leadoff batter but left him stranded in scoring position, retiring the next three batters to keep ASU within two.
The heart of the Devil lineup got things going in the third, loading the bases with no outs on a Campos walk and back-to-back singles from Tobias and Karstetter. For the second time on the day, Isaiah Jackson came to the plate with the bases loaded and for the second time he logged a two-RBI first-pitch single, netting the game at 4-4. Brandon Compton wasted no time putting ASU back on top, taking the next pitch into the opposite field left center gap to clear the bases and put ASU back on top with a two-RBI double. Sun Devils would blow it open a couple batters later as Contrades gave one a ride to deep center for a grand slam and an eight-spot in the frame to put ASU up 10-5
Fourth Inning
Santa Clara got one back in the fourth with a two-out RBI single, cutting the lead to 10-5 and ending Markl's day, spelled by Sean Fitzpatrick. An error on a tough play at first let another score to cut the lead back to four before a flyout ended the frame.
The Devils went down in order, keeping the score at 10-6
Fifth Inning
A leadoff homer, followed by a double and some free bases would lead to a couple Santa Clara runs, bringing the Broncos back within 10-8.
Harris Williams brought some much-needed pop with a solo shot to center in the bottom half to the frame to make it 11-8.
Sixth Inning
A double on the first pitch of the inning got the bats going for Santa Clara. A groundout followed by an error started the rally and another double tied it and made it 11 a piece. The third two-bagger of the inning put the Broncos on top, 12-11.
Tobias led off the inning with a shot into left center and tied it, then Karstetter followed with a full-count walk and that was all Jackson needed to send a nuke into right center field and put ASU on top by two.
Seventh Inning
A couple of singles, a wild pitch, and a passed ball got Santa Clara within one, but the Sun Devils escaped further damage and kept the lead.
Contrades flied out to center field on a full-count and Campos proceeded to reach on a walk, but the bats were silenced.
Eighth Inning
The Broncos reached on a two-out double, but a flyout to deep left field ended the inning.
Compton and Vu singled back-to-back but that was it for the Sun Devils and they did not add insurance runs.
Ninth Inning
Cole Carlon went in for his debut and shut the door for the Devils. Two ground ball outs and a backwards K sent the Broncos back to the dugout to end it.
ON DECK:
Sun Devil Baseball is back at Phoenix Municipal Stadium at 1:00 p.m. MST to face Santa Clara for game two of the three-game series.
The afternoon matinee barnburner featured 31 combined hits between the Sun Devils (2-0) and the Broncos (0-2). ASU had 16 of those, three courtesy of Isaiah Jackson, who recorded a career-best six RBIs - including the go-ahead two-run shot in the sixth inning.
The back end of the Sun Devil pen was able to stymie the Bronco offensive attack with Hunter Omlid putting up a much-needed zero in the eighth after SCU had scored nine runs in the previous four innings, setting the table for Cole Carlon's first career save in his collegiate debut.
Nu'u Contrades added a grand slam in a huge eight-run third inning while Jacob Tobias notched three hits and a huge solo shot that tied the game in the bottom of the sixth after Santa Clara had reclaimed the lead in the top half of the frame.
TURNING POINT
Offense was the name of the game on Saturday with ASU taking a 10-4 lead in the fourth only to see Santa Clara score eight runs to claim a 12-11 lead after the top half of the sixth inning. With the Sun Devils on their heels, Jacob Tobias immediately assuaged the nerves with a leadoff homer to tie the game in the bottom half of the frame - his second long ball in as many days.
BIG MOMENT
Isaiah Jackson already had four RBIs on the day when he stepped to the plate after a Kevin Karstetter walk following Tobias' homer. The sophomore continue his incredible two-game tear by getting a hold of a fastball right over the plate for what he said afterward was the longest home run of his career - batting practice included. The ball sailed over the Whiteman Family Performance Center in right field, giving ASU a 14-12 lead it would hang on to for the remainder.
FINAL STRAW
The lead certainly seemed precarious, given SCU's offensive prowess in the game and the Sun Devils desperately needed a stop. After the Broncos clawed on across in the seventh to get back within a run, ASU turned to Hunter Omlid in the eighth and the veteran transfer posted the first zero in the box score since the third inning. ASU left an insurance run in scoring position in the bottom of the inning, leaving true freshman Cole Carlon to make his collegiate debut in the ninth and facing the top of the Santa Clara order - including JonJon Berring and his 5-for-9 average and 7 RBIs for the weekend. The frosh was unfazed, retiring the side on just 12 pitches to seal the save and the series for the Sun Devils.
NOTABLES
- Santa Clara starter Brandon Gomez allowed just 21 total earned runs last season in 54.0 innings of work (3.50 ERA). The Sun Devils tagged him for seven in 2.0 innings of action.
- On the same token, SCU's second pitcher of the game Blake Hammond earned All-WCC honors last season, going 6-1 with a 2.53 ERA and allowing just 13 earned runs on the season in 46.1 innings. The Sun Devils posted seven earned runs against him in 3.1 innings today.
- Last season, Santa Clara led the WCC in team ERA, WHIP, hits allowed per nine and walks allowed per nine and held opponents to a .244 average for the season. While it has just been two games, ASU has forced the Santa Clara pitching staff into a 12.94 ERA with a 2.50 WHIP and posting a .418 average
- Santa Clara had not given up double digit runs in consecutive games since playing Pepperdine on April 23-24, 2002.
- Isaiah Jackson has six hits this season already - a feat he didn't reach until his eighth game of his freshman campaign last year. He has nine RBIs in just two games after not notching his ninth RBI until the 22nd game of the 2022 campaign.
- Kevin Karstetter quietly put up another multi-hit day and scored two runs in the process to lead the team with his .625 average through two games.
- Of ASU's 33 hits in the first two games of the season, 18 have been for extra bases (11 doubles, 7 homers) - giving the team an absurd .823 slugging percentage as a whole.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
In his Sun Devil debut, Connor Markl threw a strike-heavy first inning, retiring the side in order on eight strikes in 11 pitches.
Nu'u Contrades worked a one-out double and Ryan Campos drew a walk. An infield fly to Jacob Tobias preceded and infield single from Kevin Karstetter, loading the bases for the red-hot Isaiah Jackson, who responded with a first-pitch single right back up the middle to plate two and give ASU an early 2-0 lead.
Second Inning
Santa Clara started the inning with back-to-back hits, but gets a flyout to left, a strikeout immediately after. A liner into centerfield would put them on the board with two outs. A sharp ground ball to Contrades put them at the corners for Markl, but a double gave the Broncos the lead by two. Markl escaped the inning with a strikeout.
Steven Ondina bunted for a single with one out, but the Devils left him stranded on the basepaths.
Third Inning
Markl gave up a two-strike HBP on the leadoff batter but left him stranded in scoring position, retiring the next three batters to keep ASU within two.
The heart of the Devil lineup got things going in the third, loading the bases with no outs on a Campos walk and back-to-back singles from Tobias and Karstetter. For the second time on the day, Isaiah Jackson came to the plate with the bases loaded and for the second time he logged a two-RBI first-pitch single, netting the game at 4-4. Brandon Compton wasted no time putting ASU back on top, taking the next pitch into the opposite field left center gap to clear the bases and put ASU back on top with a two-RBI double. Sun Devils would blow it open a couple batters later as Contrades gave one a ride to deep center for a grand slam and an eight-spot in the frame to put ASU up 10-5
Fourth Inning
Santa Clara got one back in the fourth with a two-out RBI single, cutting the lead to 10-5 and ending Markl's day, spelled by Sean Fitzpatrick. An error on a tough play at first let another score to cut the lead back to four before a flyout ended the frame.
The Devils went down in order, keeping the score at 10-6
Fifth Inning
A leadoff homer, followed by a double and some free bases would lead to a couple Santa Clara runs, bringing the Broncos back within 10-8.
Harris Williams brought some much-needed pop with a solo shot to center in the bottom half to the frame to make it 11-8.
Sixth Inning
A double on the first pitch of the inning got the bats going for Santa Clara. A groundout followed by an error started the rally and another double tied it and made it 11 a piece. The third two-bagger of the inning put the Broncos on top, 12-11.
Tobias led off the inning with a shot into left center and tied it, then Karstetter followed with a full-count walk and that was all Jackson needed to send a nuke into right center field and put ASU on top by two.
Seventh Inning
A couple of singles, a wild pitch, and a passed ball got Santa Clara within one, but the Sun Devils escaped further damage and kept the lead.
Contrades flied out to center field on a full-count and Campos proceeded to reach on a walk, but the bats were silenced.
Eighth Inning
The Broncos reached on a two-out double, but a flyout to deep left field ended the inning.
Compton and Vu singled back-to-back but that was it for the Sun Devils and they did not add insurance runs.
Ninth Inning
Cole Carlon went in for his debut and shut the door for the Devils. Two ground ball outs and a backwards K sent the Broncos back to the dugout to end it.
ON DECK:
Sun Devil Baseball is back at Phoenix Municipal Stadium at 1:00 p.m. MST to face Santa Clara for game two of the three-game series.