For the second time in the Willie Bloomquist era, Arizona State Baseball (3-0) graced the presence of perfection on opening weekend, as the Sun Devils nabbed a sweep over Ohio State to kick off their 2025 campaign.
In a game that can only be described as a marathon, ASU outlasted the Buckeyes in the series finale to hold onto a 17-10 win.
The slugfest saw 17 different pitchers and 27 runs, with the Sun Devils surviving a 4-hour and 15-minute contest.
The Buckeyes wasted no time starting the scoring festivities with a two-run frame in the top half of the first on the back of RBI extra-base hits from junior left fielder Matthew Graveline and Tyler Pettorini. But like they’ve done all weekend, the Sun Devils responded in the bottom half of the inning.
Junior outfielder Kien Vu got ASU on the board by drawing a full-count walk, then proceeding to make his way around to home on two stolen bases and a throwing error from Ohio State catcher Mason Eckelman.
On the next pitch, sophomore outfielder Brandon Compton capitalized on the momentum by launching a towering solo home run that landed to the right of the batter’s eye in center field.
Senior catcher Josiah Cromwick matched Compton’s longball with a home run of his own two at-bats later to give ASU a 3-2 lead.
The run-filled inning capped a weekend in which both squads had scored at least one run in the first inning across all three games.
When ASU starter, sophomore right-handed pitcher Jaden Alba returned to the mound for the second, he refused to let Ohio State back on the scoreboard. Despite dancing with danger multiple times, Alba managed to work out of jams in the third and fourth innings to leave five Ohio State runners on base.
That's a gut check from the youngster.@jaden_alba has the bases loaded with just one out and gets out of it unscathed.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 16, 2025
4-2, Devils, M4. pic.twitter.com/MwGVA5iAyW
He finished only allowing five hits and two earned runs to pair with three strikeouts in his season debut.
“It was my first start, so obviously it comes with a little bit of nerves at the beginning, but after that I knew whatever happened in the first inning, my defense was going to have my back,” Alba said. “I just had to go right after them and stick to my plan.”
The Devils grew their lead exponentially in the fourth and fifth innings with a pair of three-run frames to build a sizable 10-2 lead.
The duo of Compton and Cromwick stayed hot, with Compton smashing an RBI double off the right field wall in the fourth to bring in sophomore shortstop Jax Ryan. Meanwhile, the latter launched a 2-run double off the right field wall to bring home Vu and the aforementioned Compton.
Good lord B-Comp.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 16, 2025
1️⃣1️⃣3️⃣ off the bat and its almost a line drive homer.
RBI double for @BrandonCompton_ makes it 5-2 in B4.
📺 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/IYt1ipXuwA
After a slow start to the series, Compton heated up in the last two games. He hit 5-7 with seven RBIs across the final two days of the weekend to get back on track.
Relieved to see his star sophomore return to form, head coach Willie Bloomquist dished heavy praise for Compton.
“He [Compton] carries that little bit of swag when he goes up to the plate, and I think there’s a little bit of fear factor when guys are pitching to him,” Bloomquist said. “Rightfully so he’s earned. (Compton) can hit the ball a long way and if you make a mistake he’s going to punish it.”
However, ASU’s attempt to put away the Buckeyes wasn’t met without resistance.
In the seventh, RBI singles from sophomore second baseman Lee Ellis and senior first baseman Ryan Miller led the charge in a four-run inning for the visitors to cut the ASU lead to just three runs.
Even after ASU responded with a three-spot inning, the Buckeyes came back with another crooked number in the eighth.
Back-to-back home runs via Graveline and Pettorini, along with a couple of walks, made the fans at Phoenix Municipal Stadium start to grow restless. Ohio State trimmed the once 8-run ASU lead to just three.
Yet, the last gasp for OSU proved to be all for nothing. Junior right-handed pitcher Lucas Kelly evaded a jam with runners on first and second base to get out of the troubling eighth.
For extra good measure, the maroon and gold tacked on an extra four runs by taking advantage of wild pitches and Ohio State pitchers who struggled to find the strike zone.
The four-run inning brought ASU’s run total to a whopping 33 over the entire opening three-game stretch.
Following a scoreless ninth, the Sun Devils reached the end of the long winding road that ended up being their series finale against the Buckeyes and secured a 17-10 win.
Bloomquist credited ASU’s ability to remain steady throughout the weekend and close out the game to unsung heroes such as transfer junior second baseman Kyle Walker, who despite hitting sub .200, provides an impact unmeasurable by the stat sheet.
“He’s hitting .182 after three games. If I erase these numbers I would have said he’s hitting over .400,” Bloomquist said. “Numbers sometimes don’t tell the whole story… he’s the leader out there from a defensive standpoint, chirping at everybody and making sure everybody’s locked in, that’s the guy that’s the vocal leader in there keeping everybody going. So his value is extremely high regardless of numbers.”
Up next, ASU will look to start the new week strong with a Monday matchup at home against Austin Peay at 1 p.m. MST.
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