Arizona State (30-16, 14-7) reached the 30-win milestone in style, taking care of business against the Dirtbags for the second consecutive evening. The Maroon and Gold matched a school record with 10 stolen bases as a team. Junior outfielder Kien Vu was the main source of the thievery, swiping a program record six bags tonight. There was plenty of production to back up the baserunning, as the Sun Devil offense continued its tear.
The Sun Devil bats wasted no time making their presence felt, as ASU exploded with an eight-run first inning. Head Coach Willie Bloomquist‘s offense would go on to score at least one run in each of the next five innings, building a double digit lead that resulted in the team’s third consecutive run-rule victory.
Six different Sun Devils finished with two or more hits, as the balanced lineup of the home side proved to be too much for Long Beach State to handle. Vu not only proved to be effective on the basepaths, but he also drove in a team-high four runs. Kyle Walker and Landon Hairston were sparks at the top of the order, combining to go 6-of-7 while scoring four runs.
After allowing six runs through the first three innings, the Sun Devil pitching staff completely shut down the Dirtbags the remainder of the game behind a group of freshmen. Easton Barrett got the first call out of the bullpen and did not disappoint, delivering 2.1 scoreless innings. Jake Neely, Max Arlich, and Eli Buxton kept Long Beach State off the board the remainder of the game, securing a 17-6 victory in seven innings.
Arizona State continued its streak of run rule wins, extending it to three-in-a row. The Sun Devils have outscored opponents 64-16 during a five-game win streak and have now won nine of their last ten at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
Next up, ASU heads to Waco to take on Baylor for a three-game series. The first game is scheduled for Friday, May 2 at 4:30 PM MST.
TURNING POINT
Long Beach State jumped on starter Wyatt Halvorson, tagging him for three runs in the first to set the tone early. The Sun Devil offense picked up their pitcher and then some as the team responded with an enormous eight-run first to punch back immediately. Nu’u Contrades took the first big swing, as he laced a two-run double while Kien Vu followed that with an RBI single of his own. Defensive miscues and timely hitting pushed another five runs across to cement the eight-run first – the most runs scored in a first inning this season.
BIG MOMENT
Kien Vu etched his name in Sun Devil Baseball history with a program record six stolen bases in the contest. Vu was off to the races early and often as he tied the former program record of four single game stolen bases in just the third inning. After drawing a walk in the fifth, Vu raced for the record as he slid into second successfully, having notched his fifth steal in as many innings. To push things even further, he then swiped third base for his sixth steal of the evening to widen the gap on his new record. His six stolen bases paved the way for ASU’s 10 total on the game – also matching the program record. Vu finished the game 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored.
FINAL STRAW
Easton Barrett was the first man out of the pen for the Sun Devils in relief of Wyatt Halvorson. Barrett spearheaded the momentum shift, as he spun 2.1 innings worth of scoreless baseball on just one hit to complement five strikeouts. Barrett gave way to fellow freshman Jake Neely, who added 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball prior to Max Arlich and Eli Buxton slamming the door on the Dirtbags. The four freshmen teamed up for 4.2 innings of shutout baseball which included just one hit and eight strikeouts to fan the flames on any potential comeback efforts.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Wyatt Halvorson got the start for the Sun Devils, running into trouble early. A leadoff single and a hit by pitch put two runners on for Long Beach State. Halvorson retired a batter on a strikeout, but then gave up a three-run home run to give the Dirtbags a 3-0 lead. He settled in, getting a ground out and a strikeout to close out the top of the first.
The Devils loaded the bases with one out on a Landon Hairston hit by pitch and back-to-back walks from Matt King and Jacob Tobias. Nu’u Contrades got the scoring started for the Sun Devils, roping a double down the left field line, cutting LBSU’s lead to 3-2. Kien Vu followed with a two-run single of his own, putting the Devils up 4-3. Jax Ryan was hit by a pitch, and another run scored as Vu stole third and came home on a throwing error. Brody Briggs drove in the sixth run of the inning on a single to right, and Kyle Walkersingled, ending the starting pitcher’s night. A wild pitch brought in another run, and Hairston doubled into right field to extend ASU’s lead to 8-3. Tobias lined out to left field to end the inning.
Second Inning
Halvorson made quick work of the Dirtbags by striking out the side.
Vu singled with one out and then stole second base. Vu took third with two outs, and a two-run blast by Isaiah Jackson made it 10-3. Briggs flew out to conclude the inning.
Third Inning
Halvorson returned to the mound for his third inning of work, giving up a three-run homer before recording an out. He struck the next batter out, before being replaced by Easton Barrett. He gave up a single and struck out two, keeping the lead at 10-6.
Walker led off the inning with a single, advancing to second on a throwing error. Hairston reached on a bouncing bunt, and Walker moved to third. A sacrifice fly from Matt King drove in Walker, extending the Devils’ lead to 11-6. Tobias singled, and Contrades grounded into a fielder’s choice, putting runners at the corners. Vu doubled in two more, then stole third on a Jax Ryan walk. Jackson grounded out to end the inning with ASU up 13-6.
Fourth Inning
Barrett pitched again in the fourth and struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 inning.
Brody Briggs homered on the first pitch of the bottom half to extend ASU’s lead to 14-6. After Kyle Walkersingled and Landon Hairston walked, a fielder’s choice placed runners at the corners with one out. Matt King stole second to get into scoring position, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.
Fifth Inning
A strikeout and a groundout opened the fifth for Barrett, who was then replaced by Jake Neely. He faced one hitter, forcing a pop out to end the scoreless inning.
Vu led off the inning with a walk, then stole second for his fifth stolen base of the game, a new single game record. He then stole third and scored on Jackson’s RBI groundout. Briggs struck out to end the inning with the Devils up 15-6.
Sixth Inning
Neely returned to the mound and was effective as the Dirtbags went three up, three down.
Kyle Walker led off the bottom half with a double, and he moved up to third on a deep flyout by Brandon Compton. However, Walker was tagged out at home on a fielder’s choice. Matt King then came around to score on a Jacob Tobias RBI double. Another RBI double from Nu’u Contrades made it a 17-6 ballgame before the inning ended on a Kien Vu strikeout.
Seventh Inning
Max Arlich was the next man out of the bullpen for the Sun Devils, getting the first batter he faced to ground out. A hit by pitch and a strikeout followed before Arlich was replaced by Eli Buxton. He struck out the final batter he faced to seal the win for the Sun Devils.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“They came out and picked us up there. We gave up a three spot in the first and we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We were going to have to play our game in order to put these guys away. Our offense showed up and picked us up. So that’s what teams do that are supposed to do that. And they swung the sticks, they took advantage in the running game. We’re able to steal some bases and get some free 90s and put us in good scoring positions. And guys were able to come up with some big hits. So, all in all, top to bottom, a pretty complete offensive game.”
On Kien Vu’s stolen base record
“I was very, very happy for him. He’s just a dynamic player, and having his leg just about healthy again, to where he’s able to do those things, it makes his game, personally, much more dynamic, but it also adds a lot of extra threats in our lineup. What you have to do to hold that kid on in the middle infield, pitchers worrying about him, it just opens up so many things that don’t show up in a box score. So when he’s able to do that, it just adds that speed dynamic to our lineup, that that can come from more than one or two places. It adds that throughout the lineup, which is big.”
On the freshman pitching in relief
“The four freshmen threw the ball outstanding. Neely has been in a couple games before, but this was the most length he’s had, and he’s been eager to pitch. There’s a lot of things that he has to do to continue to refine and be ready for this, for his opportunities, and he did outstanding tonight. It’s a challenge when you’re when you’re faced as a freshman with an older team, that you have to stay mentally sharp, and it’s awful tough as a young kid that’s always been the studs, and their seniors in high school, and then they come here and they kind of get stuck in the cooler unless you’re an immediate impact guy, and fit into the roster immediately. And then sometimes you gotta wait your turn, and that’s humbling. It’s frustrating for a lot of these kids. But I’ve been trying to preach to them that you can control what you can control. Stay ready for your opportunities. You don’t know when they’re coming. And those four freshmen, outside of Easton Barrett, who’s been in there regularly, the other three hadn’t pitched a whole lot. And the biggest thing that I took out of that is there was no walks between those guys. They came in and attacked the zone, trusted their stuff, worked ahead and had good results. So to me, that’s a credit to them staying mentally ready. And I’ve said it before, some of these older guys are scuffling a bit. We need some of these young puppies to step up and fill in and get us important outs and we need them.”
On players stealing bases often
“It’s a dynamic. We’ve been trying to get here for a couple years. In the past, we’ve been a team that just kind of sits back and waits for the three run homer and puts something together that way. I’ve always aspired to have a team that has a good mix of speed and power, because I think they complement each other. I think that the speed makes pitchers have to throw fastballs. Otherwise you’re going to give up free 90s, and when you’re worried about throwing fastballs to power hitters, you throw more breaking balls, which allows us to steal bases. So for me, having three or four guys in the lineup that can run and nine guys in the lineup that can put the ball in the seats, they complement each other well. Just having different ways of being able to beat somebody is nice to have. We’re not always going to be able to put together a whole bunch of consecutive hits or long balls. We’re going to have to be able to beat teams with base running and being smart on the bases, so it’s a dynamic that we’re starting to grasp and get better at.”
UP NEXT
at Baylor on 5/2/2025 | 4:30 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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