LOS ANGELES – For most of Arizona State’s roster, Friday night’s game against UC Irvine set the stage for their first acts in the NCAA tournament.
Staples of the program, including players such as senior first baseman Jacob Tobias and junior outfielders Isaiah Jackson and Kien Vu, had to stick with the program for three or more years before finally landing on the right side of the NCAA tournament bubble.
When given the spotlight of a primetime spectacle at Jackie Robinson Stadium, ASU’s stars didn’t disappoint, stepping up to lead Arizona State to a 4-2 win over UCI. The victory marked the team’s first win in the NCAA tournament under head coach Willie Bloomquist.
With this likely being the final year in a Sun Devil uniform for many core pieces, the veterans hope to piece together one last memorable run.
“For me especially, I get one opportunity to do it in my career,” Tobias said. “A lot of guys get three or four opportunities and so going out there and making the most out of every at bat and every inning is the biggest thing.”
Tobias provided the offensive spark early on by launching a solo shot to right field to get ASU on the board first in the second inning. Then, just two at-bats later, Jackson popped a straightaway shot over the wall in center to give Sparky an early 2-0 lead.
ACTION JACKSON ‼️@Jackson_Isaiah6 stays hot with his 17th bomb of the year to give us a 2-0 lead 😈
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 31, 2025
📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/2eTYF9Lnpm
The Anteaters responded tacking on two of their own, but soon after Sun Devil starting pitcher, junior left-hander Ben Jacobs, settled in.
Jacobs, who grew up one hour south of Los Angeles and played at UCLA in his freshman season, tossed five innings, conceding two earned runs and striking out six UCI hitters. With the Anteaters starting to threaten, he delivered his signature moment in his fifth and final frame.
Nearing 100 pitches on the night, Jacobs found himself in a hole: runners on second and third and only one out.
In a heroic effort, he managed to escape the jam unscathed.
First, he struck out UCI senior outfielder Chase Call, turning to the dugout to let out an emphatic roar. Then, facing his former teammate at Huntington Beach High School, senior catcher Blake Penso, Jacobs bore down to draw a flyout to shallow right.
It capped a full-circle night for Jacobs who had many ties to the area.
“I’m pretty familiar with this field, but it was just so fun to be out here and come back to where I’m from,” Jacobs said. “I lived an hour south of here and had a lot of family come out to see me.”
Still, stuck in a pitcher’s duel, runs proved to be hard to come by for both sides. However, when ASU needed it most, its veterans in the middle of the lineup came through. In the fourth, Vu poked a double down the left field line to bring home Tobias. Four innings later, Jackson came through with a clutch RBI single through the right side to give ASU some insurance late.
The trio combined to go 6 for 11 at the plate, scoring all four of the Sun Devils’ runs on Friday night. For Tobias, who went 3 for 4 with a home run and two doubles, the success stemmed from playing loose with an underdog mentality.
“We all knew going into this we were underdogs,” Tobias said. “Being one of the last four teams, and so we’re kind of playing this whole weekend like there’s nothing to lose playing with house money.”
Yet, it became nearly impossible to evade tension late, with UCI looking to have ASU on the ropes again. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Bloomquist made a call to the bullpen to bring in sophomore left-hander Cole Carlon.
Needing just one at-bat, a calm Carlon drew a ground second base and, despite a low flip to second, senior shortstop Matt King managed to complete the double play to get the Sun Devils out of the inning.
OH MY GOODNESS SUN DEVILS.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 31, 2025
Bases loaded and one out and Carlon comes in and issues the double play ball to escape it.
Devils hang on to a 4-2 lead through 8!
📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/i81VYxei1l
It helped put the exclamation point on a night where the Sun Devils seemed to find a way to pull through in the biggest moments, with ASU ultimately securing a 4-2 win. After the gutsy victory, Bloomquist remained proud of his team for the resilience it showed and hopes the squad can keep its momentum rolling into tomorrow.
“We knew the first one was going to be the toughest one,” Bloomquist said. “We got that first one out of the way, and now we roll. We’re eager to tee it up against UCLA tomorrow. It should be another dog fight.”
ASU advances to take on the Bruins on the second day of regional action in Los Angeles. It’s likely that senior right-handed pitcher Jack Martinez will take the mound for the Sun Devils with the first pitch scheduled for 6 p.m. PT.
Leave a Reply