Jaden Alba turned in a gutsy start, logging five innings of two-run ball while piling up six strikeouts and escaping a potential game-altering jam back in the first inning. Alba was able to limit ORU to a mere 2-13 with runners in scoring position and stranded six runners on base while picking up his first win of his career.
The bullpen fed off Alba’s momentum and slammed the door on an Oral Roberts comeback as the relievers combined for six strikeouts of their own, allowing just two hits and cruising along to four scoreless innings to add to an impressive collective bounce back effort from the pen.
The Sun Devils will head to Los Angeles and take on former Pac-12 foe UCLA for a pair of midweek games before returning to Phoenix Municipal Stadium to welcome in Minnesota.
TURNING POINT
The first inning saw immediate pressure from the ORU offense. A pair of walks and a base knock loaded up the bases before starting pitcher Jaden Alba was even able to record an out. Alba found himself with his back to the wall, but dug his heels in and went to work. The sophomore absolutely roared back as he drew a quick lineout followed by back-to-back strikeouts to work out of the bases loaded jam unscathed in an impressive effort. His teammates picked him up immediately as Nu’u Contrades homered on the first pitch thrown to the Sun Devils on the afternoon, giving ASU a lead out the gates that it would never relinquish.
BIG MOMENT
First basemen Jacob Tobias blew things open in the bottom of the fifth when the Sun Devils were holding on to a one-run lead. With Brandon Compton occupied on second, “Toby Tanks” piped one out to center field for a two-run homer to extend the lead to three. The offense was able to rally behind that moment, ultimately scoring at least one run in each of the final innings and coasting to a win.
FINAL STRAW
Sun Devils relievers Derek Schaefer, Cole Carlon and Eli Buxton teamed up to combine for four shutout innings in relief. The trio eclipsed six strikeouts and scattered just two hits in their lockdown efforts. The bullpen dominance was vital in hanging zero’s all over the scoreboard and securing a win for the Maroon and Gold.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Nu’u Contrades had another huge day at the plate for the Sun Devils. The right-handed slugger compiled two hits, two home runs, three RBIs and two runs as the lead-off man for the offense. The third basemen had a dominant weekend against Oral Roberts as he looks to carry this performance into the week ahead.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Starter Jaden Alba got off to a rough start command wise. The right hander issued two walks to the first two ORU batters followed by a single to load the bases before an out was recorded. Alba showed tremendous fight as he was able to find his way out of the road block. He then recorded a quick lineout and back-to-back strikeouts to prevent ORU from getting the early lead in an impressive manner.
The Sun Devil offense wasted no time as leadoff man Nu’u Contrades jumped all over a first-pitch fastball and sent it on a rope right over the fence to dead center, giving his squad the immediate 1-0 edge. ASU saw a few more runners reach, but had nothing to show for it as the inning ended with the lead at one.
Second Inning
Alba continued to roll in the second. After giving up a double to left field, Alba left the batter stranded on second as he retired the rest of the batting order in a 1-2-3 manner. He added another strikeout, totaling three on the day so far.
A single up the middle by Jonathon Hernandez followed by some ORU defensive mistakes led him to third, giving the bottom of the order a chance to come through. Kyle Walker did just that and lifted a sacrifice fly that brought Hernandez home, increasing the Sun Devils lead to 2-0.
Third Inning
The Golden Eagles were able to get to Alba thanks to a leadoff single followed by an RBI double to cut the lead in half and make it 2-1 quickly. Alba battled back and retired the next three batters with no further damage done, keeping the score 2-1.
A walk followed up by Golden Eagle errors propelled the Sun Devils to take full advantage of their mistakes. A failed pickoff attempt led Brandon Compton all the way to third with one out. He went on to touch home after a sharp grounder from Josiah Cromwick went right through the wickets of the ORU third basemen to make it 3-1.
Fourth Inning
ORU quickly picked up momentum to start the fourth with a double popped to left center, followed by an RBI double to center field to make it 3-2. The pressure didn’t get to Alba, as he remained poised and closed out the inning leaving the batter stranded on second.
The pitching for the Golden Eagles originally struggled, walking the first two batters for the Sun Devils. ASU couldn’t cash in on their opportunity and left runners stranded to end the fourth.
Fifth Inning
Alba returned for his fifth inning of work and mowed down the ORU lineup in 1-2-3 fashion with strikeouts number five and six to put the lid on a really solid afternoon for the sophomore starter.
Another leadoff walk set the stage for a towering home run off the bat of Jacob Tobias. The two-run “Toby Tank” soared 430 feet to straight away center field, giving the Sun Devils a 5-2 cushion. ASU continued to threaten, but the inning came to a close with no further scoring.
Sixth Inning
The Sun Devils brought in Derek Schaefer to relieve Alba to start off the sixth. After allowing a single to right center and a walk with one recorded out, Schaefer turned on his X-factor and retired the ORU lineup, passing the torch to the offense with a 5-2 lead.
ASU seemed to not have anything going for them until Kien Vu stepped up to the plate. The left-handed slugger slammed an opposite-field homer to increase the Sun Devils lead to 6-2. After Brandon Comptonwas walked for the fourth time, Jacob Tobias fliedout, ending the frame with the Sun Devils holding onto a four-run lead.
Seventh Inning
Left-hander Cole Carlon was the next man out of the Sun Devil bullpen to begin the seventh. ORU threatened quickly with a leadoff walk and a base knock to turn the heat up a little bit. Carlon found a new gear and left the Golden Eagles with nothing to show for their early threat as the inning closed with a zero on the board.
Josiah Cromwick led off the bottom half of the inning with a loud swing of the bat, depositing a line shot into the ORU bullpen for a solo home run. Cromwick’s fourth homer of the season put his squad up 7-2 as the rest of the order went quietly to end the seventh.
Eighth Inning
Carlon was unstoppable to kick off the eighth, as he retired the ORU lineup in 1-2-3 fashion. The first two batters were immediately sent back to the dugout due to back-to-back strikeouts. A groundout concluded the frame with the Sun Devils holding onto a 7-2 lead.
After Kyle Walker was walked, Nu’u Contrades got the offense flowing and crushed a two-run homer, adding another home run to his career day and extending the lead to 9-2. Following that, Brandon Comptonconnected on a double to left center, marking his first hit of the day after being initially walked four times. The Sun Devils were unable to bring Compton home, ending the inning with a seven-run lead.
Ninth Inning
Eli Buxton came in for the Sun Devils to close things off. Buxton did just that and retired the ORU lineup in 1-2-3 fashion with a strikeout, flyout and groundout to take the series 2-1.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“(Felt) good. The way the game started off there with bases loaded nobody out, I thought the game could have gone a lot differently. Tip of the hat to Jaden Alba for kind of buckling down right there and getting the soft line out and then punching the next couple of guys out to get out of that. That really started the momentum on our side after it could have really gone south. Then Nu’u (Contrades) coming up, first pitch putting us on the board, that was big. But all in all, the bullpen did an outstanding job. That was good to see. I was happy with that performance. And then offensively, we stuck with our plan for the most part of the day and were able to put up some good runs. So good all around effort.”
On how the offense has responded after Friday night’s loss
“Great. I mean, we scored in every inning except one today, so that’s finding different ways to score. Some by the long ball, some by base running, those types of things to stay aggressive are going to be important as we continue to move on so that we’re not one dimensional.”
On the teams 6-1 start
“Happy, not satisfied. I think it’s great to get wins, but we have room to improve. There’s areas we have to get better at and like I said, it doesn’t get any easier as we move forward. The schedule only gets tougher. It’s good to be where we’re at, but that one stung a little bit on Friday. I think we all are still a little bit – I don’t say disappointed, we bounced back from that. It’s in the rearview, but that one stung a little bit. We knew we were capable of coming away with that one, but I think it’s a tribute to where we’re at and I think where we can go confidence wise. I know Ohio State lost a couple of games today and yesterday that they were way ahead of really good teams. They beat NC State earlier in the week. So when you start looking like, ‘man, those games were a dogfight with Ohio State,’ and now they’re going out and beating ranked teams and giving those guys fits too, it’s like, ‘well, maybe you know those were good tests for us.’ We’re getting battle tested. I guarantee these guys (Oral Roberts) are going to go win a whole slew of games this year which is going to be good for us. They’re very well coached and they’re going to continue to get better. They just have a little bit of inexperience, but they got some kids over there that can flat out play and some nice arms in the bullpen, so that was a good challenge for us. Austin Peay is going to go win a boatload of games too. So I think we were challenged early on and to come away with six wins is good, but we know as a team we have to get better.”
Next Game
At UCLA on Tuesday February 25th at 6 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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