PHOENIX – Pinned in a bout where St. John’s refused to fall, Arizona State, which struggled with runners in scoring position all night, called upon its captain to deliver the final blow.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, junior second baseman Nu’u Contrades blasted an 0-1 pitch over the left-field wall, to ultimately knock out the Johnnies.
“I was hoping for something in the outfield, or obviously, a base hit would be great,” ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said. “When that ball came off that bat, I got a sigh of relief.”
SEE. NUU. LATER.
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) February 21, 2026
His second granny of the year and we have blown this baby open.
9-1, Devils. pic.twitter.com/2teTeer1ml
Contrades’ blast marked the third of the night for the Sun Devils, leading them to a 9-1 victory to take round one against the Red Storm on Friday night.
Sparky’s first souvenir came on St. John’s ninth pitch of the game. After sophomore left fielder Landon Hairston ripped a single on the first pitch, fifth-year right fielder Dean Toigo brought him home on a towering 429-foot two-run homer.
“I kind of had a feeling a fast ball was coming,” Toigo said. “I was hunting a fastball up. Then he threw it where I was looking, a fastball up and in, and I got it.”
The early shot gave ASU an early 2-0 cushion that junior lefty Cole Carlon cruised with. The Sun Devils ace, while spotty at times, mowed down the Johnnies lineup, tallying nine strikeouts, his second-highest mark in the Maroon and Gold.
Carlon went a career-long six innings on 83 pitches, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks.
On the first pitch of the bottom of the fourth, Sun Devils junior first baseman Dominic Smaldino left the park for his second time this season, both of which have gone the opposite way.
“It is something that has always come naturally,” Smaldino said. “It’s something I have had and would like to keep, and it helps me on the off-speed stuff too,”
The Cal transfer turned in his best showing in ASU threads, going 3-for-4 with seven total bases. Smaldino came just a triple shy of the cycle.
Hairston and junior designated hitter Garrett Michel also contributed with big offensive nights. The former freshman All-American finished the night going 2-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and a stolen base, while Michel went 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a walk.
Despite the nine runs, Arizona State struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-for-9 on the night.
“I think we got a little over anxious up there at times and tried to do too much,” Bloomquist said. “But at the end of the day, we did enough to get it done, and we’ll continue to improve where we need to improve. We’re not a finished product by any means, but these are the learning things.”
The Sun Devils will need to quickly work out their blemishes for tomorrow, round two against the Red Storm, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. MST at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
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