After consecutive games of blown leads in the final stages, déjà vu nearly struck the Sun Devils for a third day.
Instead, Arizona State (8-4) held on in the closing moments to secure an 8-7 win over a scrappy Minnesota (4-5) team Sunday afternoon at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
A 5-run sixth inning was the difference for the Sun Devils. ASU found help in unlikely places, like freshman designated hitter Beckett Zavorek, who delivered two base hits, two steals, and two RBI in the win. The bullpen struggled to contain the Gophers’ power at the plate, but the Sun Devils had a change of fortune for the final outs.
“We had pretty much a chance to win all three of those games,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “They kept coming after us. They got the first two from us and they almost got this one. The positive of our side is that we did drop the last two games that were tough, they stung quite a bit. But we were able to bounce back and hold on today. That was the positive, but the overall take is we got a lot to work on.”
ASU got off to a hot start swinging the bats in the first inning. After moving up to second in the batting order, senior shortstop Matt King collected his sixth hit of the series with a base hit to left. First baseman Jacob Tobias knocked him in with a sacrifice fly to center, providing the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead early.
The starter on the hill did his part as well in the early going. Sophomore right-hander Jaden Alba began his day with an eight-pitch first inning. He worked around some trouble in the next two innings, ultimately emerging unscathed on the scoreboard.
However, Alba unexpectedly left the game before the fourth inning. The sophomore jogged to the mound before the start of the frame but appeared to injure his right leg. Bloomquist clarified that the team believes Alba was dealing with a cramp. He departed with five strikeouts and no runs allowed over three innings.
Caught off guard, Bloomquist turned to freshman left-hander Easton Barrett. Barrett, who started Tuesday’s game at UCLA, got two quick outs from the bullpen. Then, a walk and a hit batter set the table for Gophers’ sophomore shortstop Jack Spainer’s RBI single to left to tie the game.
ASU didn’t wait long to respond. Graduate student catcher Josiah Cromwick launched his team-leading fifth home run of the season to left field to retake the lead. The 380-foot blast was Cromwick’s first hit in a week after missing time with a hand injury.
CromBo Number 5️⃣
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 2, 2025
Devils back on top.
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The Sun Devils added to their lead in the fifth and sixth innings. Zavorek manufactured a run by himself out of the ninth position in the lineup. After boarding the bases via a bunt single, Zavorek stole second and caught the Gophers’ attention on the base paths. An errant pickoff attempt by Minnesota allowed Zavorek to scamper around the bases and score on an error.
“We’ve been screaming for someone to lay a bunt down for a couple days here,” Bloomquist said. They’re gonna give it to you, take it. Well, I didn’t give it to [Zavorek]. He just did it on his own and gets it down and then steals a bag, and it creates havoc. So that was an outstanding job by him.”
Zavorek came through again in the following inning. He dumped a first-pitch single into shallow left center, scoring two more runs. The freshman, who also plays second base, is just another asset at a deep position up the middle for ASU.
Have a day, @beckettzavorek!
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) March 2, 2025
Two-RBI single to push the lead to 4!
6-2, Devils, B6.
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“I think we’ve got a really talented group of guys in the middle and all around the infield,” Zavorek said. “I think you could plug anyone in anywhere and everyone will produce. That’s a luxury to have.”
Redshirt sophomore left fielder Brandon Compton roped a two-run double later in the inning to bookend a 5-run rally and spot ASU an 8-2 edge after six innings of play.
Despite the offensive success, the bullpen woes during the series continued. Sophomore righty Rohan Lettow faced just four Gophers in relief, yet surrendered three booming home runs. Minnesota hit three straight homers off Lettow and junior lefty Sean Fitzpatrick to start the seventh inning. Ultimately, it homered four times total in the frame. Suddenly, ASU’s lead slimmed to 8-6.
Bloomquist praised Cromwick’s quiet and calming demeanor behind the dish amid the chaos on the mound.
“He was a rock behind the plate back there today,” Bloomquist said. “Blocked a lot of balls with guys on third that the common person doesn’t even realize. I always said if the catcher isn’t noticed, he did a really good job. And he wasn’t noticed today, at least by the average person.”
Sophomore right-hander Josh Butler established some authority over two innings of work, striking out three. After Minnesota made it a one-score game in the ninth, with the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, Bloomquist moved to one of his prized transfers: sophomore righty Derek Schaefer.
“He came in eager to get the ball,” Bloomquist said. “He threw with conviction and did a great job … Once he gave us the call that he went in the portal, we took him with open arms. Heck yeah, man. We finally got the kid we wanted.”
Schaefer shut the door, striking out the final two Gophers to seal an 8-7 victory for the Devils.
“I would say for emotion: excitement,” Schaefer described himself as he entered the game. “You come into a spot like that, it’s pretty cool to retire the two guys.”
With the Sun Devils’ bullpen taxed after an exhausting weekend, Tuesday’s date with UNLV remains a bit blurry in terms of available arms. Arizona State will look to keep its momentum rolling when the Rebels come into town for a 6:30 p.m. MST first pitch.
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