(Orlando, FL) No. 19 Sun Devil Baseball picked up a pivotal road win on Friday behind a 9-4 victory over UCF in the series opener for its sixth conference victory in a row.
With the win, Arizona State (32-14, 15-7 Big 12) now sits alone in second in the Big 12 conference standings – three games back from Big 12 leader Kansas. ASU has now won six-straight conference games for the first time since the 2016 season.
Nu’u Contrades recorded four hits and three RBIs to pace the Sun Devil offense, which recorded 15 hits – the most allowed by UCF (26-16, 14-8 Big 12) in a game this season. Dominic Smaldino added three hits while PJ Moutzouridis, Matt Polk and Garrett Michell all added two – the latter of which recording ASU’s only homer in the game.
Cole Carlon picked up his third consecutive winning decision behind 5.0 innings of work. While not his sharpest outing, he limited UCF to three runs on five hits with seven strikeouts. Taylor Penn gave ASU a solid 2.2 innings of work in relief with just one run allowed and Sean Fitzpatrick and Derek Schaefer closed things out with the final four outs.
ASU responded with runs to take the lead or extend its lead after each of the three innings UCF recorded runs of its own, always having an answer anytime the Knights looked ready to threaten while stranding 10 UCF baserunners in the process.
The Sun Devils will have a quick turnaround into Game Two on Saturday, which will get underway at 10 p.m. AZT/1 p.m. locally in order to avoid a weather cell set to roll into the Orlando area tomorrow evening.
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
Notables
Arizona State was a very pedestrian 18-18 in night games last season and have shown vast improvement in that area this year with a 17-8 record in the late games. The team was especially bad in Friday night/weekend series openers a season ago, going just 6-8 in those. With tonight’s victory, ASU is now 8-3 in weekend series openers this season.
Conversely, UCF was 7-1 on in weekend series openers when the first game game was played on a Thursday or Friday entering tonight.
ASU has scored multiple runs in 90 of its 160 half-innings with runs this season. ASU has 53 innings with at least three runs scored, 30 with at least four and 23 with at least five.
Landon Hairston had his hitting streak ended at 28-consecutive games after his 0-for-3 outing today, capping off fifth-longest in Sun Devil school history and ending the longest active streak in the nation. He did extend his reached base streak to 29 consecutive games, however.
Sean Fitzpatrick inherited the bases loaded with two outs in the ninth but was able to retire the lone batter he faced and has now stranded 16 of his team-high 27 inherited runners this season.
Out of all D1 pitchers with at least 15 appearances this season (1,041 total), Fitzpatrick entered tonight having given up just one base hit to the first batter he has seen in an appearance, which was tied for the 19th-lowest total in the country. With tonight’s effort, the first batter Fitzpatrick has faced in a game has reached via base hit just once in 25 outings.
The Sun Devil pitchers struck out 11 batters and it was the 31st time this season with double-digit strikeouts.
UCF starter Mateo Gray had posted a 5-0 record on the season before taking his first loss tonight. Gray had gone at least five innings in each of his last five starts entering tonight before being chased in the third. His six runs allowed were notable as he had allowed just 23 total earned runs over his 13 other appearances this season.
The Sun Devils got UCF standout Andrew Williamson to strand a career-high six batters on base on Friday – a feat matched just once before in March of his freshman season in 2024. Williamson was a career .331 hitter with runners in scoring position and batting .395 in the category this season. He was batting .667 with the bases loaded this season, making his eighth inning groundout to Fitzpatrick all the more noteworthy.
ASU kept the pressure on all day, advancing baserunners 18 times on 36 chances (.500) while UCF managed to do so only four times on 16 chances (.267).
Williamson struck out three times on Friday after he had struck out just three times TOTAL over his previous seven games.
Nu’u Contrades extended his hit streak to 12 games thanks to a four-hit effort. He has at least one extra-base hit in 11 of the 12 games in that stretch after his two-double outing today.
The game was the 32nd time this season ASU recorded at least ten hits and 13th time they had 15 or more knocks. It was the most allowed by UCF to an opponent this season.
Matt Polk extended his hitting streak to seven games with multiple hits in four of those after today and is now hitting .367 on the season. .
Dominic Smaldino notched his second consecutive three-hit game and now has 11 hits over his last five outings after not starting in the finale at BYU two weeks ago.
Photo – Sun Devil Athletics
Up next
The Sun Devils will look for their 10th series victory of the season tomorrow with first pitch now scheduled for 10 a.m. AZT/1 p.m. locally to avoid scheduled weather in the Orlando area on Saturday evening. The game will be broadcast live via ESPN+.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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