PHOENIX– Sun Devil Baseball and Ohio State battled in another back-and-forth affair on Saturday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium as Arizona State (2-0) staged a heroic comeback to walk-off the Buckeyes (0-2), 7-6, and take the season-opening series.
Trailing 6-5 and down to the team's final out, Nu'u Contrades drew a full-count walk and Kien Vu legged out an infield single to load the bases. It was redshirt sophomore Brandon Compton taking the big swing, as the Preseason All-American delivered with a walk-off double to drive in a pair of runs and give his team the come-from-behind win.
The hit capped off a monster day for the sophomore, who finished a triple short of the cycle on 3-for-4 hitting with four RBIs - including a two-run homer earlier in the game. Brody Briggs added a three-hit game in his collegiate debut and Vu added his second multi-hit game in as many games.
Jack Martinez spun 5.1 innings in the start for his Sun Devil debut, allowing just three earned runs while striking out 8 and walking none. Wyatt Halvorson earned the win with a 1-2-3 frame out of the bullpen in the ninth against the heart of the Ohio State order to keep ASU within a run.
TURNING POINT
The Sun Devils bullpen labored some through the late innings, with Ohio State scoring two runs on wild pitches in the seventh and eighth innings to claim a 6-5 lead. Facing the potent middle of the Ohio State order in a one-run game, the Sun Devils desperately needed a stop and found it in the form of Wyatt Halvorson. The freshman, who was battling the flu entering the day, struck out OSU's two- and three-hole hitters before getting an assist from his defense as Isaiah Jackson made an impressive catch against the wall to save extra bases and keep the Sun Devils within a run. Tyler Pettorini and Marc Stephens - Ohio State's three- and four-hole hitters - had reached base at over a .400 clip on the weekend entering the ninth inning at-bats.
BIG MOMENT
The Sun Devils were down to their final out after Kyle Walker legged out a fielder's choice to avoid a game-ending double play. Down to the final strike, Nu'u Contrades worked a full count walk to get the winning run on the base path. Kien Vu - who had worn a fast ball off the elbow and was caught stealing home in his previous AB and trip around the base path - loaded the bases after legging out an infield single to short that stood on replay review and kept the Sun Devils alive.
FINAL STRAW
Compton who was hitless in his season debut last night - recorded his third hit with an exit velo over 109 miles per hour as he laced a sinking line drive into the gap in right center that the Ohio State center fielder was unable to corral allowing the Sun Devils to earn the walk-off win and improve to 2-0 on the early season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Brandon Compton came through in the biggest moment of the game, delivering the walk-off double to send the Sun Devils home a winner. Compton totaled three hits including a home run and a double to total up seven bases and four RBIs to will his team to victory.
NOTABLES
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening statement
"I'm just really happy and proud of these guys that they're continuing to grind. We haven't played our best baseball, certainly, it's only been a couple of games, but the fact that they keep being resilient and keep battling back, even when we're down to our last out there and we just keep putting ABs together and keep playing hard all the way through the finish line, good things happen. It's a sign of good teams that can pull off things late, got a little bit of luck, you know, a little bit of Tempe sunshine maybe that helped us there, but, at the end of the day, we've been on the, we've been on the other end of that so many times here in the last 3 years. We're due for one to go our way, so, I'm not gonna complain about it. At the end of the day our guys played hard and to me, that's the biggest thing."
On Brody Briggs performance
"I was so, so excited for Brody. Here's a kid that came here from Oklahoma and came across the country to come to Tempe.(He) redshirted last year, did nothing but catch probably a million bullpens out there and never said a word, kept his mouth shut, and continued to work hard. (He) came in this year and with the unforeseen addition of Josiah Cromick, he thought he was going to be the guy. He's just continued to keep his mouth shut and work hard and try to be a leader of sorts out there and for him to get his first start, first opportunity and come up huge, really. He started the rally in the ninth- three knocks, I mean, that one was exciting for me to kind of praise him in front of the team about (his) first start, three hits. Just very, very happy for him."
On where the team stands after the first two games
"I think we're in a very good position when it comes to talent across the board, but it's our job as coaches to teach them college baseball, right? You're going to get exposed if you have weaknesses. Coaches are too good. Justin (Haire) does a phenomenal job. He did a great job at Campbell. He'll get these boys rolling over there. He does a really, really good job. Other teams we put on the schedule have very good coaching staffs. So, it's going to challenge us to get better and teach our guys how to do things the right way and not only in a way that's going to catapult them forward in their professional careers one day, but more importantly, the here and now in the college game. These guys expose every little weakness you have, man, and if you don't cover it and turn over every stone - I guess, so to speak, you're going to get exposed. So these are things that we have to clean up. We got some guys in the game today, some young kids, Easton Barrett,(Alec) Belardes first appearance, Eli Buxton. Those guys, it's like, 'yeah, you guys got really good stuff,' but you gotta learn, right. You have to control emotions and attack the heart of the zone because there's a reason we're bringing you in. You have really, really good stuff, but we have to learn how to control the emotions and control the running game and all that type of stuff, otherwise you're going to get exposed."
Outfielder Brandon Compton
On delivering the walk-off double
"That was a whole team effort by far. We had a bunch of hitters that got on base and it led to those runs.. I mean, base hit wins the game, so I was just thinking base hit up the middle and doing my thing."
Outfielder Kien Vu
On beating out an infield single to keep the team alive
"At the end of the day, I'm just trying to pass the baton - get the bat in Compton's hands. That last pitcher we faced was pretty solid. He had good stuff and he was spotting up well, so as soon as it was on the ground, I was like 'I better beat this out and get it to Compton' and that's what happened and here we are."
Catcher Brody Briggs
On recording three hits in his NCAA debut
"It was a sigh of relief for sure. I've been working towards this for a while, so it was good to finally get out there and help and just compete."
Right handed pitcher Wyatt Halvorsen
On his late game performance
"Just getting ahead with the fastball, just pounding the zone. That's what we did all fall and I guess just throwing a bunch of strikes, not really trying to, I guess beat them. I mean, beat them obviously.. just play baseball."
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Right-hander Jack Martinez took the bump for the first time as a Sun Devil and picked up back-to-back strikeouts to get things started. Ohio State quickly countered with a two-out double followed by an RBI single to open up the scoring and give them a 1-0 lead. The top half of the frame came to an end after a flyout, but the Buckeyes landed the first punch in this one.
Arizona State didn't waste much time to retake the lead. After a Kien Vu walk, Brandon Compton unloaded on a two-run homer traveling 445 feet for his first home run of the season. Compton's homer gave the Devils their first lead of the afternoon as the first inning came to a close, with ASU leading 2-1.
Second Inning
The longball remained the theme early on, as Ohio State began the second inning with a leadoff solo shot to knot it back up 2-2. The Buckeyes pushed an unearned run across after a HBP led to a wild pitch and the runner eventually came around to score due to a throwing error. The top of the second ended with Ohio State regaining the lead, 3-2.
The Sun Devils suffered two quick outs before catcher Brody Briggs laced a single to right field, where he advanced to second on an E9. The single marked his first career NCAA hit for the freshman. However, he was stranded at second base and the inning concluded with Ohio State in control.
Third Inning
Martinez began to settle into this one, sending the Buckeyes down in 1-2-3 fashion in a very efficient top of the third for ASU.
The third inning moved quickly with the Sun Devils going down in order as well. After the first three innings, Ohio State held onto a 3-2 advantage with lots of baseball left to be played.
Fourth Inning
Martinez remained sharp as he twirled his second consecutive three up, three down inning while retiring his last nine consecutive batters faced to keep ASU within one, trailing 3-2.
Both pitchers remained in their groove heading into the middle innings as the Sun Devils were once again sent down as they remained behind 3-2 after four.
Fifth Inning
Ohio State got around to Martinez with a leadoff double to get a quick runner in scoring position to begin the fifth. The Buckeyes were later able to cash in, with the runner scoring via sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 4-2. After a pair of back-to-back singles, third baseman Nu'u Contrades fielded a sharp one hopper on a beautiful backhanded effort to end the Ohio State threat and keep things at 4-2.
The Sun Devils enjoyed a leadoff single from Matt King for his first hit with his new team. However, ASU had nothing to show for it as they went down quietly to end the fifth.
Sixth Inning
Martinez toed the rubber to begin the sixth inning, where he recorded his eighth punchout of the game in what would be his final batter. R-Fr. Alec Belardes was called upon to relieve Martinez and keep OSU in check. Belardes didn't have his best stuff after giving up a walk and a HBP to set up the Buckeyes. He was shortly replaced by left hander Easton Barrett in hopes of ending the OSU threat. Barrett did just that, retiring the lone batter he faced and keeping the score at 4-2.
The Sun Devil offense came to life early with a pair of singles courtesy of Vu and Compton to set the table for the middle of the order. Josiah Cromwick lifted a long sacrifice fly to score Vu and pull the Devils back within one, 4-3. Isaiah Jackson then delivered a clutch two-out single, scoring Compton. The bottom of the sixth closed out with the Sun Devils and Buckeyes knotted up at 4-4 heading into the later stages of the afternoon.
Seventh Inning
Ohio State put pressure on reliever Cole Carlon early and often. The Buckeyes eventually loaded up the bases after a pair of infield singles and a HBP which led to a runner coming home after a wild pitch. Carlon was able to limit the damage and escape with OSU now leading 5-4.
Brody Briggs collected his second hit of the afternoon, getting a hold of a leadoff double to get ASU in business. He later advanced on a balk and came around to score on an RBI groundout from Contrades, again tying the game at 5-5. Kien Vu made his way on base after a HBP and traveled all the way to third. The speedster tried pulling off a steal of home, but was gunned down and the inning concluded with the game evened up at five a piece.
Eighth Inning
Eli Buxton was next out of the pen for ASU. After allowing a walk, the OSU runner picked up steals of second and third base, setting up to later score on a wild pitch and put them ahead 6-5. That would be the end of the line for Buxton as southpaw Sean Fitzpatrick was then signaled to take over on the bump. Fitzpatrick executed a successful pickoff on an OSU runner at second base to put a lid on the eighth inning with a huge momentum swing in favor of the Devils as they trailed, 6-5.
Jacob Tobias drew a leadoff walk to get things going for ASU in the eighth. Ky McGary came in to pinch run and was then gunned down trying to steal second base as ASU couldn't get any offense going to conclude the inning.
Ninth Inning
Wyatt Halvorsen entered the game for ASU and posted a dominant one-two-three inning. Halvorsens efforts kept the score within reach as the Sun Devils geared up for their ninth inning rally, trailing 6-5.
After a quick flyout, the lineup turned to Brody Briggs, who stayed red hot at the plate. He collected his third hit of the afternoon to give his team a huge jolt of energy. After a fielder's choice, the Sun Devils stayed alive thanks to a Nu'u Contrades walk, followed by an infield single from Kien Vu. With the game on the line, it was the bat of Brandon Compton playing hero in this one. Compton delivered the final blow to the Buckeyes with a walk-off double to send the Devils home a winner, 7-6.
Trailing 6-5 and down to the team's final out, Nu'u Contrades drew a full-count walk and Kien Vu legged out an infield single to load the bases. It was redshirt sophomore Brandon Compton taking the big swing, as the Preseason All-American delivered with a walk-off double to drive in a pair of runs and give his team the come-from-behind win.
The hit capped off a monster day for the sophomore, who finished a triple short of the cycle on 3-for-4 hitting with four RBIs - including a two-run homer earlier in the game. Brody Briggs added a three-hit game in his collegiate debut and Vu added his second multi-hit game in as many games.
Jack Martinez spun 5.1 innings in the start for his Sun Devil debut, allowing just three earned runs while striking out 8 and walking none. Wyatt Halvorson earned the win with a 1-2-3 frame out of the bullpen in the ninth against the heart of the Ohio State order to keep ASU within a run.
TURNING POINT
The Sun Devils bullpen labored some through the late innings, with Ohio State scoring two runs on wild pitches in the seventh and eighth innings to claim a 6-5 lead. Facing the potent middle of the Ohio State order in a one-run game, the Sun Devils desperately needed a stop and found it in the form of Wyatt Halvorson. The freshman, who was battling the flu entering the day, struck out OSU's two- and three-hole hitters before getting an assist from his defense as Isaiah Jackson made an impressive catch against the wall to save extra bases and keep the Sun Devils within a run. Tyler Pettorini and Marc Stephens - Ohio State's three- and four-hole hitters - had reached base at over a .400 clip on the weekend entering the ninth inning at-bats.
BIG MOMENT
The Sun Devils were down to their final out after Kyle Walker legged out a fielder's choice to avoid a game-ending double play. Down to the final strike, Nu'u Contrades worked a full count walk to get the winning run on the base path. Kien Vu - who had worn a fast ball off the elbow and was caught stealing home in his previous AB and trip around the base path - loaded the bases after legging out an infield single to short that stood on replay review and kept the Sun Devils alive.
FINAL STRAW
Compton who was hitless in his season debut last night - recorded his third hit with an exit velo over 109 miles per hour as he laced a sinking line drive into the gap in right center that the Ohio State center fielder was unable to corral allowing the Sun Devils to earn the walk-off win and improve to 2-0 on the early season.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Brandon Compton came through in the biggest moment of the game, delivering the walk-off double to send the Sun Devils home a winner. Compton totaled three hits including a home run and a double to total up seven bases and four RBIs to will his team to victory.
NOTABLES
- Sun Devil Baseball has trailed in 40 of its last 55 victories dating back to the 2023 season - including the first two this year.
- The offense picked up where it left off with seven runs on the afternoon as the Sun Devils have now averaged 10.6 runs per game over the last 19 games dating back to last season (203 runs)
- Jacob Tobias has now reached base in 26 consecutive games dating back to last season.
- After going 1-8 in one-run games in Willie Bloomquist's debut season in 2022, the Sun Devils went 7-3 and 8-5 in the 2023 and 2024 and have already improved to 2-0 in such games this year.
- The Sun Devils won six games a season ago in games decided in the ninth inning or later (four walk-offs), adding their first of the year today. ASU rallied from a deficit on four different occasions on Saturday.
- ASU won four games a year ago in which it was trailing after eight innings - the most since the 2006 season. It added its first of the year today.
- Brandon Compton recorded his first game of the season with three plus hits in a game. This marks the 11th time in his career that he has logged such a feat. He also tallied four RBIs, which is the fifth time in his career recording four-plus RBIs in a game.
- Jack Martinez made his Sun Devil Debut and racked up eight strikeouts. This was the most he had dating back to his time with Trinity college; where he last recorded eight strikeouts on April 14, 2023. It is tied for the third most strikeouts in his NCAA career, as he has posted nine strikeouts twice before.
- Kien Vu has picked up right where he left off last year, recording his second multi-hit game in as many games. This is now the 27th game of his career where he has recorded at least two hits.
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening statement
"I'm just really happy and proud of these guys that they're continuing to grind. We haven't played our best baseball, certainly, it's only been a couple of games, but the fact that they keep being resilient and keep battling back, even when we're down to our last out there and we just keep putting ABs together and keep playing hard all the way through the finish line, good things happen. It's a sign of good teams that can pull off things late, got a little bit of luck, you know, a little bit of Tempe sunshine maybe that helped us there, but, at the end of the day, we've been on the, we've been on the other end of that so many times here in the last 3 years. We're due for one to go our way, so, I'm not gonna complain about it. At the end of the day our guys played hard and to me, that's the biggest thing."
On Brody Briggs performance
"I was so, so excited for Brody. Here's a kid that came here from Oklahoma and came across the country to come to Tempe.(He) redshirted last year, did nothing but catch probably a million bullpens out there and never said a word, kept his mouth shut, and continued to work hard. (He) came in this year and with the unforeseen addition of Josiah Cromick, he thought he was going to be the guy. He's just continued to keep his mouth shut and work hard and try to be a leader of sorts out there and for him to get his first start, first opportunity and come up huge, really. He started the rally in the ninth- three knocks, I mean, that one was exciting for me to kind of praise him in front of the team about (his) first start, three hits. Just very, very happy for him."
On where the team stands after the first two games
"I think we're in a very good position when it comes to talent across the board, but it's our job as coaches to teach them college baseball, right? You're going to get exposed if you have weaknesses. Coaches are too good. Justin (Haire) does a phenomenal job. He did a great job at Campbell. He'll get these boys rolling over there. He does a really, really good job. Other teams we put on the schedule have very good coaching staffs. So, it's going to challenge us to get better and teach our guys how to do things the right way and not only in a way that's going to catapult them forward in their professional careers one day, but more importantly, the here and now in the college game. These guys expose every little weakness you have, man, and if you don't cover it and turn over every stone - I guess, so to speak, you're going to get exposed. So these are things that we have to clean up. We got some guys in the game today, some young kids, Easton Barrett,(Alec) Belardes first appearance, Eli Buxton. Those guys, it's like, 'yeah, you guys got really good stuff,' but you gotta learn, right. You have to control emotions and attack the heart of the zone because there's a reason we're bringing you in. You have really, really good stuff, but we have to learn how to control the emotions and control the running game and all that type of stuff, otherwise you're going to get exposed."
Outfielder Brandon Compton
On delivering the walk-off double
"That was a whole team effort by far. We had a bunch of hitters that got on base and it led to those runs.. I mean, base hit wins the game, so I was just thinking base hit up the middle and doing my thing."
Outfielder Kien Vu
On beating out an infield single to keep the team alive
"At the end of the day, I'm just trying to pass the baton - get the bat in Compton's hands. That last pitcher we faced was pretty solid. He had good stuff and he was spotting up well, so as soon as it was on the ground, I was like 'I better beat this out and get it to Compton' and that's what happened and here we are."
Catcher Brody Briggs
On recording three hits in his NCAA debut
"It was a sigh of relief for sure. I've been working towards this for a while, so it was good to finally get out there and help and just compete."
Right handed pitcher Wyatt Halvorsen
On his late game performance
"Just getting ahead with the fastball, just pounding the zone. That's what we did all fall and I guess just throwing a bunch of strikes, not really trying to, I guess beat them. I mean, beat them obviously.. just play baseball."
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Right-hander Jack Martinez took the bump for the first time as a Sun Devil and picked up back-to-back strikeouts to get things started. Ohio State quickly countered with a two-out double followed by an RBI single to open up the scoring and give them a 1-0 lead. The top half of the frame came to an end after a flyout, but the Buckeyes landed the first punch in this one.
Arizona State didn't waste much time to retake the lead. After a Kien Vu walk, Brandon Compton unloaded on a two-run homer traveling 445 feet for his first home run of the season. Compton's homer gave the Devils their first lead of the afternoon as the first inning came to a close, with ASU leading 2-1.
Second Inning
The longball remained the theme early on, as Ohio State began the second inning with a leadoff solo shot to knot it back up 2-2. The Buckeyes pushed an unearned run across after a HBP led to a wild pitch and the runner eventually came around to score due to a throwing error. The top of the second ended with Ohio State regaining the lead, 3-2.
The Sun Devils suffered two quick outs before catcher Brody Briggs laced a single to right field, where he advanced to second on an E9. The single marked his first career NCAA hit for the freshman. However, he was stranded at second base and the inning concluded with Ohio State in control.
Third Inning
Martinez began to settle into this one, sending the Buckeyes down in 1-2-3 fashion in a very efficient top of the third for ASU.
The third inning moved quickly with the Sun Devils going down in order as well. After the first three innings, Ohio State held onto a 3-2 advantage with lots of baseball left to be played.
Fourth Inning
Martinez remained sharp as he twirled his second consecutive three up, three down inning while retiring his last nine consecutive batters faced to keep ASU within one, trailing 3-2.
Both pitchers remained in their groove heading into the middle innings as the Sun Devils were once again sent down as they remained behind 3-2 after four.
Fifth Inning
Ohio State got around to Martinez with a leadoff double to get a quick runner in scoring position to begin the fifth. The Buckeyes were later able to cash in, with the runner scoring via sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 4-2. After a pair of back-to-back singles, third baseman Nu'u Contrades fielded a sharp one hopper on a beautiful backhanded effort to end the Ohio State threat and keep things at 4-2.
The Sun Devils enjoyed a leadoff single from Matt King for his first hit with his new team. However, ASU had nothing to show for it as they went down quietly to end the fifth.
Sixth Inning
Martinez toed the rubber to begin the sixth inning, where he recorded his eighth punchout of the game in what would be his final batter. R-Fr. Alec Belardes was called upon to relieve Martinez and keep OSU in check. Belardes didn't have his best stuff after giving up a walk and a HBP to set up the Buckeyes. He was shortly replaced by left hander Easton Barrett in hopes of ending the OSU threat. Barrett did just that, retiring the lone batter he faced and keeping the score at 4-2.
The Sun Devil offense came to life early with a pair of singles courtesy of Vu and Compton to set the table for the middle of the order. Josiah Cromwick lifted a long sacrifice fly to score Vu and pull the Devils back within one, 4-3. Isaiah Jackson then delivered a clutch two-out single, scoring Compton. The bottom of the sixth closed out with the Sun Devils and Buckeyes knotted up at 4-4 heading into the later stages of the afternoon.
Seventh Inning
Ohio State put pressure on reliever Cole Carlon early and often. The Buckeyes eventually loaded up the bases after a pair of infield singles and a HBP which led to a runner coming home after a wild pitch. Carlon was able to limit the damage and escape with OSU now leading 5-4.
Brody Briggs collected his second hit of the afternoon, getting a hold of a leadoff double to get ASU in business. He later advanced on a balk and came around to score on an RBI groundout from Contrades, again tying the game at 5-5. Kien Vu made his way on base after a HBP and traveled all the way to third. The speedster tried pulling off a steal of home, but was gunned down and the inning concluded with the game evened up at five a piece.
Eighth Inning
Eli Buxton was next out of the pen for ASU. After allowing a walk, the OSU runner picked up steals of second and third base, setting up to later score on a wild pitch and put them ahead 6-5. That would be the end of the line for Buxton as southpaw Sean Fitzpatrick was then signaled to take over on the bump. Fitzpatrick executed a successful pickoff on an OSU runner at second base to put a lid on the eighth inning with a huge momentum swing in favor of the Devils as they trailed, 6-5.
Jacob Tobias drew a leadoff walk to get things going for ASU in the eighth. Ky McGary came in to pinch run and was then gunned down trying to steal second base as ASU couldn't get any offense going to conclude the inning.
Ninth Inning
Wyatt Halvorsen entered the game for ASU and posted a dominant one-two-three inning. Halvorsens efforts kept the score within reach as the Sun Devils geared up for their ninth inning rally, trailing 6-5.
After a quick flyout, the lineup turned to Brody Briggs, who stayed red hot at the plate. He collected his third hit of the afternoon to give his team a huge jolt of energy. After a fielder's choice, the Sun Devils stayed alive thanks to a Nu'u Contrades walk, followed by an infield single from Kien Vu. With the game on the line, it was the bat of Brandon Compton playing hero in this one. Compton delivered the final blow to the Buckeyes with a walk-off double to send the Devils home a winner, 7-6.