(Phoenix, AZ) Sun Devil Baseball scored early and often and rode an exceptional pitching performance for a Sunday en route to a 13-1 run rule victory in seven innings against Houston on Sunday afternoon, clinching the team’s 10th series win of the season.
Freshman southpaw Easton Barrett turned in the performance of his young career on Sunday, as he shook off a first inning solo shot to go a career high 5.1 innings to earn the win. Barrett gave up just two hits over the next 4.2 innings of work, striking out three with no walks.
The Sun Devil (34-18, 18-9 Big 12) offense more than did enough to back up its starting youngster, recording three or more runs in four-straight innings to blow the game open and claim the team’s second run rule victory in a conference finale in the last two weeks.
Six of ASU’s nine starters recorded multiple hits with Landon Hairston leading the way with three. Five players had two RBIs. Isaiah Jackson and Brandon Compton each homered for the second consecutive day.
The victory marked the fourth time this season ASU lost a series opener but won the series – its most since doing so four times in the 2014 season. It had won just one such series PERIOD in the previous three seasons (Oregon State, 2013).
ASU remains in sole possession of second place in the Big 12, two games back from West Virginia and one game up on Kansas and TCU – and holding the head-to-head tyiebreak against both – heading into the final weekend of play. Because West Virginia will not play a full conference schedule this season due to cancellations, the Big 12 regular season championship will be decided by win percentage. The Sun Devils would need to sweep its series at Oklahoma State while WVU would need to be swept by Kansas in Morgantown in order for ASU to come out on top in that scenario.
The Sun Devils will conclude their 2025 regular home schedule on Tuesday against crosstown rival Grand Canyon at 6:30 p.m. AZT before heading to Stillwater, Okla., to take on Oklahoma State in the final Big 12 series of the season beginning on Thursday.
TURNING POINT
The Sun Devils found themselves in a position needing to erase a one-run deficit after a home run in the opening frame. It took until just the bottom of the second to ignite the offense and string together four straight innings with three runs or more. Jacob Tobias took his turn at the plate and rolled a single up through second base. While the next two batters were retired on a groundout and a strikeout, the offense never wavered—tying the game with an RBI single from Josiah Cromwick and taking the lead on a two-run blast by Isaiah Jackson over the right-center field wall. Kyle Walker transferred the teams momentum over to the third, where he walked and managed to round the bases to score without a hit due to miscues on the Houston defense. A pair of groundouts again moved the walked batter, Hairston, to third. A misfired throw on a grounder to first scored Hairston and moved Vu to second, setting up Brandon Compton’s opposite side home run blast that fueled a six-run lead through the third.
BIG MOMENT
Barrett Easton’s performance on the mound gave the offense the confidence to step up and execute at the plate. After retiring the first two batters of the game with relative ease, Barrett paid for a pitch that landed in a sweet spot for the batter who took him back for the first, but only home run conceded by the Sun Devils in the game. The early mistake was enough for him to settle in on the mound, posting 4.1 more innings of scoreless ball that kept batters guessing throughout the strike zone. He recorded his career longest 5.1 total innings in which he posted just three hits, three assists to first, and just the one run scored.
FINAL STRAW
The Sun Devils got out to an early lead after a scoreless first inning. Their three and four run innings that followed and a six run lead put them in the driver’s seat—yet, not entirely out of the danger zone. That was until the fourth and fifth inning, where they managed to tack on a combined six more runs—leaving them with a 13-1 lead which would hold true through the final stages of the game.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Easton Barrett took the mound to start off today’s game. He started out issuing two quick fly outs before allowing a ball to be taken for a home run in left-center field. The frame then closed out with a ground out hit back to the pitcher, leaving the Sun Devils down one entering the bottom half.
The offense was not able to get going on the base paths to answer an early one run deficit.
Second Inning
Barrett stuck to the game plan of attacking the plate. He delivered a pair of fly outs interrupted by a single to center field. The base runner would take second and tag up to third before he was left stranded by a ground out to the mound.
Jacob Tobias returned to his at bat and knocked a single through the middle gap. Kien Vu was jammed at the plate but allowed Tobias to reach second for the first out of the frame. Compton would be cut down at the next at bat, but Josiah Cromwick came through with an RBI hit that dropped in center field and scored Tobias from second. Isaiah Jackson stepped up and cleared the bases with a two run home run to right-center field, jumping ahead 3-1. The inning would close out with a strikeout swinging.
Third Inning
Barrett retired the Houston lineup in a 1-2-3 orderly fashion, while picking up his third assist through three innings.
The Sun Devils saw a change defensively on Houston’s side of the mound. Jumping on some early pitching mistakes, Kyle Walker worked a walk, and quickly took advantage of two wild pitches that brought him around the bases for a run scored. Continuing to work the new arm, Landon Hairston took an eight-pitch walk. A pair of soft groundouts moved Hairston to third, who came home on a misplayed hit that pulled the first baseman off the bag, allowing Kien Vu to reach second on the error. Brandon Compton then lifted a two run home run before the inning ended on a fly out. Back-to-back multiple run innings put the Sun Devils comfortably ahead at 7-1.
Fourth Inning
Making quick work of the frame, Barrett earned his first strikeout and allowed just one infield hit before securing two consecutive outs.
Carrying on through Houston’s bullpen game, ASU would continue to put bats to balls. Isaiah Jackson led off with a single and a stolen base against a new pitching look. Following a strikeout, Kyle Walker came through with a double down the mid-left-field line that scored Jackson from second. Landon Hairston drove another RBI double that bounced to the wall in left-center and scored Walker from second. A wild pitch got away under Houston’s catcher, allowing Hairston to move to third, and Matt King followed with a single up the middle that brought the third run across home plate. The three run inning wrapped up with a double play ball to first base.
Fifth Inning
Barrett spun another quick frame, retiring the Cougars in order and bringing up the Sun Devil offense with a chance to extend their nine run lead.
The offense marched on through their fifth appearance and kept the scoring streak alive. Kien Vu and Brandon Compton notched two consecutive singles and landed on the corner plates. Josiah Cromwick sent a no-out RBI single through the left side that scored Vu and pushed Compton to second. After a strikeout looking, both Ryan Jax and Kyle Walker drew walks—bringing Compton home and reloading the bases.Landon Hairston slapped an RBI single that dropped into right field to score Cromwick, before a pitching change led to a double play to end the inning. Four straight innings with three or more runs stretched the lead to 13-1.
Sixth Inning
After recording a strikeout, Josh Butler was called upon to replace Barrett Easton, who had thrown 5.1 innings of one-run ball. Butler fulfilled his duties on the bump and got two quick outs for the defense.
The Sun Devils’ scoring bout came to an end after a Jacob Tobias single to start the frame.
Seventh Inning
Butler exited the game for a brief stint from reliever Chance Daquila. He issued one walk before earning his first out since his 2023 season after rehabbing from injury. Cole Carlon would take over to face the final two batters of the game, retiring both by-way-of strikeout for a 13-1 finish.
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
On the Pregame Mother Celebration down on the field
“I didn’t involve myself too much in that because I wanted that to be their moment. It was something that was neat for the players to experience with their moms. It’s great to have the support of the moms on Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful women out there that make this world go round and are the rocks of the family, you guys are awesome.”
On what the moment was like for Chance to be able to go out and have his first appearance coming off injury
“We’ve been trying to find the right opportunity to bring him in, and yeah, there weren’t too many dry eyes in the dugout. When he took the mound it was emotional for everybody. It’s just one of those things that you’re pulling so hard for a kid that’s been through so much, and just to come back and step foot on the rubber again today was a neat moment. He’s worked so dang hard to get back, and for our offense to come through and get us a nice lead, and give him an opportunity to come in, you could tell it was just a really emotional, cool day for him and for all of us.”
On what it says about the guys to be able to dig in and bounce back from losses early in a series
“It’s a tribute to those guys in there. I mean, we preach it, but they’ve got to take it to heart and put it into play and they do. I’ve mentioned that you don’t like to get in the habit of having to respond to adversity all the time, but these guys certainly have, and when things get thrown their way, they bounce back. Now the message is can we just be consistent where we don’t have to respond to that adversity all the time. Coming down the stretch here every game is important as it always is. But if things get thrown at us that are negative, we are able to bounce back. We’ve proven that time and time again, and that’s a tribute to their resiliency and their mindset.”
NEXT GAME
Grand Canyon Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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