After a road sweep against Stanford last weekend, Arizona State baseball returned to Phoenix Municipal Stadium, looking to extend its winning streak to four against Texas Tech.
The Sun Devils entered the two-game series on the outskirts of the playoff picture, holding the fifth spot in the Pac-12 going into the conference tournament next week.
On the other side, the Red Raiders found themselves in the same situation. Despite an above .500 overall record, they also struggled against conference foes, squeaking into next week’s Big 12 playoffs as the No. 10 seed.
While the Maroon and Gold (30-24, 17-13 Pac-12) scored 16 runs in nine innings on Sunday, it reached that mark in four on Thursday night, beating Texas Tech (30-23, 12-17 Big 12) by a score of 21-5.
“It’s been great to watch these guys come into their own, swing the bats the way they’re capable of,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “There wasn’t a lot of cheap hits tonight. A lot of balls were hit on the screws and a lot of balls were hit hard. It’s not just a handful of guys, it’s up and down the whole lineup.”
Bloomquist called upon sophomore pitcher Ben Jacobs to start the game. The lefty entered with a 4.45 ERA and has established himself as one of the regular starters.
Jacobs ended the night with four innings, allowing three hits, four runs and four walks while fanning seven Red Raiders.
However, Burns allowed some runs early, including a three-run double from junior infielder/pitcher Cade McGee that broke the deadlock in the first inning.
The Sun Devils responded in the bottom with a two-run single from junior infielder Jacob Tobias.
But Bloomquist’s side would take full advantage of the game in the second. Senior infielder Steven Ondina equalized the game with a knock through the center gap. Then, sophomore outfielder Kien Vu batted two runs home to give the hosts a 5-3 lead.
ASU’s designated hitter, freshman pitcher Brandon Compton, delivered additional damage. One pitch after Tobias hit an RBI single, Compton launched the ball 450 feet over the right field fence to give his team an 8-3 edge.
That caused Texas Tech’s freshman pitcher Parker Hutyra to receive his marching orders when the frame concluded. He finished his first collegiate start pitching two innings, allowing nine hits, eight runs, and one walk while striking out three batters.
“We’re finally doing what we’ve been able to do and what we know we’ve been able to do,” Tobias said. “So, I think it’s gonna keep going. It’s really cool to see.”
“I just have to hit the push button,” Bloomquist added. “I don’t have to do anything creative, hit and runs, safety squeeze, anything like that. These boys are swinging the bat. Let them swing.”
The Sun Devils extended their lead in the third with the bases loaded. After two couple infield RBI singles, freshman infielder Ethan Mendoza walked to make the score 11-3 for the home side.
Both teams traded solo shots to start their fourth inning frames, with freshman infielder TJ Pompey doing so for the visitors while senior infielder Kevin Karstetter homered for the hosts. But the Sun Devils added extra runs in the bottom as they led 16-4 heading to the fifth.
After Pompey added his second RBI of the night with a double to left field in the top of the sixth inning, Bloomquist’s side once again added five runs in the bottom.
Freshman pitcher Jaden Alba took the mound in the seventh, closing the game with a 1-2-3 inning.
It was a stellar night for ASU’s offense, who tied a season-high 23 hits while Texas Tech notched five. Every player except junior catcher Ryan Campos, who went 4-for-4, brought in at least a run.
Tobias led the way with a 5-for-5 performance, including two home runs and a career-high eight RBIs, which is tied for the fourth-most in ASU baseball history. He was a triple away from completing the cycle. Additionally, his two-homer outing was the second of this campaign, with the first occurring against UCLA on April 21.
“Obviously, I’m really happy,” said Tobias, who hit a collective 14 RBIs in the past two games. “But it’s just the same old thing. At the end of the day, it’s the same game we’ve been playing all year and the same game I’ve been playing my whole life. I trust myself to do that every game, and I’m happy I got it done today.”
Compton went 4-for-5 from the plate and hit three RBIs. Vu also brought in three runs, as he finished 2-for-5.
ASU returns to action tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. MST for their final game against Texas Tech. That game will be the second for the Red Raiders, who play UNLV earlier in the day.
Bloomquist will start senior Connor Markl on the mound, before turning to senior reliever Hunter Omlid shortly after.
With two games left before the Pac-12 tournament, Bloomquist is looking to get his guys ready for postseason play. For the ASU manager, that just means keeping up the good work.
“Selfishly, I obviously would have wanted this all year long,” Bloomquist said. “But better that it’s coming now when these games are crucial. We’re gonna need them to continue swinging hot bats and us continuing to play good defense behind them and get some solid pitching behind them as well.”
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