After blowing a ninth-inning lead on Friday night, the Sun Devils (5-1) responded with a 12-hit, 12-run effort on Saturday while limiting Oral Roberts to just six hits and striking out 11.
The top of the order led the charge for ASU as Nu’u Contrades and Kien Vu each homered and combined to go 6-for-10 with four RBIs and seven runs scored. Isaiah Jackson added his second consecutive multi-hit game and extended his hitting streak to all six games of the season, also adding two RBIs.
Jack Martinez pitched better than his final line might betray, giving ASU 6.0 innings of work with six strikeouts and scattering just six hits with three of those runs coming on a three-run homer after giving up two walks in the fifth.
Josh Butler closed things out with his first career save, going 3.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks and just one hit allowed on a seeing-eye single.
The Sun Devils will look to take the series tomorrow with first pitch scheduled for 12 p.m. AZT.
TURNING POINT
For the first time this season, the Sun Devils didn’t allow a run in the first inning and capitalized en route to a 6-0 lead to start the game. After plating a pair in the first, the Sun Devils brought across four runs in the third inning . The duo of Isaiah Jackson and Matt King delivered with runners on base as Jackson roped a two-run triple, followed up by a long RBI double from King to increase the margin to six. The early offensive outburst put ASU in cruise control on the way to victory.
BIG MOMENT
Third baseman Nu’u Contrades landed the lethal blow, connecting on a towering two-run homer in the fourth inning to respond instantly to Oral Roberts comeback effort. The long ball was the first of the young season for Contrades and his first since February 17, 2024 against Santa Clara (W, 14-13) as he missed the remainder of the 2024 campaign due to injury.
FINAL STRAW
Relief pitcher Josh Butler answered the call out of the pen and recorded a flawless final three innings on the bump. The 6-7 righty dazzled with five strikeouts and no runs allowed to slam the door on the Golden Eagles and earned his first career save in the process.
INNING BY INNING
First Inning
Starter Jack Martinez worked a really clean inning to get things underway. Martinez piled up a couple of strikeouts and a routine flyout to send ORU down in order and turn things over to the offense.
The Sun Devils got in business early, loading up the bases before the Golden Eagles could record an out. Cleanup hitter Jacob Tobias came through as he laced a single to center field, opening up the scoring at 1-0. Landon Hairston then rolled into a double play, but pushed across another run to make it 2-0. The inning then came to a close with a pair of runs for the Devils heading into the second.
Second Inning
Martinez continued to slice and dice on the mound to kick off the second inning. ORU picked up their first hit of the game, but Martinez left the runner stranded after notching another strikeout and ending the frame.
The Sun Devils offense couldn’t keep the same momentum that was found in the first, retiring in a 1-2-3 manner.
Third Inning
Martinez stayed dialed in, retiring ORU in order in just eight pitches to keep things moving and his team ahead.
Nu’u Contrades started the inning with a scorching double to set the table. He later advanced to third and scored on a well executed double steal with Jacob Tobias taking second as Contrades touched home to extend the lead, 3-0. After another walk, Isaiah Jackson drove home a pair of runs with a two-run triple, putting ASU up 5-0. The hit parade rolled on as Matt King sent one off the wall in left for an RBI double to increase the lead to six-nil. The inning concluded with the Sun Devils plating four runs and leading 6-0 after the first three frames.
Fourth Inning
The Golden Eagles started to figure out Martinez, singling on back-to-back line drives to occupy third and first. ORU then doubled to right center to bring in both runners and get on the board for the first time today. Martinez was able to collect himself and closed the inning with no further damage, hanging on to a 6-2 lead.
Beckett Zavorek picked up where the Sun Devils left off last inning and singled through the right side. Following that, Nu’u Contrades slammed one outside the park for a two-run homerun. Kien Vu joined the party and doubled down the left field line, later advancing to third on a steal. A sacrifice fly by Brandon Compton successfully brought Vu home, increasing the Sun Devils lead to 9-2.
Fifth Inning
After a pair of walks, ORU got right back in it with a three-run shot to deep right field making it 9-5. Martinez was then able to settle down and navigate his way out of the inning with the damage limited.
After a leadoff single from Isaiah Jackson, ASU couldn’t get anything else going and went scoreless for just the second inning of the afternoon as the score remained 9-5.
Sixth Inning
Martinez found his groove again in the sixth. He added another two strikeouts to increase his total to six on the afternoon, putting ORU away quickly to hang another zero on the board, concluding his solid outing sporting a 9-5 advantage.
Following Nu’u Contrades’ single, Kien Vu smashed one to left center for a two-run homer to increase the Sun Devils lead to 11-5. The rest of the batting order were not able to add onto the momentum to kick off the frame, retiring in a 1-2-3 fashion.
Seventh Inning
Right-hander Josh Butler was the first man up out of the Sun Devil pen in relief of Martinez. Butler worked a very efficient top half of the seventh, sending ORU down in only ten pitches to keep ASU’s lead at six headed into the stretch.
The Sun Devil sticks kept applying pressure by getting runners on base by any means. Manny Garza came off the bench to pinch hit and delivered an RBI sac fly scoring Isaiah Jackson to increase the lead to 12-5 as the inning concluded quickly after.
Eighth Inning
Butler kept his foot on the gas and caught the first batter swinging for a strikeout. After a single snuck past Nu’u Contrades, Butler struck out the next two batters looking for his fourth strikeout in just two innings. The Sun Devils head into the bottom of the eighth with a comfortable 12-5 lead over the Golden Eagles.
The Sun Devils couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the eighth, as Jacob Tobias was left stranded on second after being walked and successfully stealing second off a wild pitch. ASU heads into the final inning with a substantial 12-5 lead.
Ninth Inning
Butler remained ice cold to close out the game for the Sun Devils and struck out the last batter swinging, leaving a Golden Eagle stranded on second. ASU ties the series up 1-1 with a 12-5 win.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Willie Bloomquist
Opening Statement
“I think any time you can put the ball in play, not to focus on the negative, but only have 3 strikeouts. I think we’re putting the ball in play and doing what we’re supposed to do there. Some guys swung the bat a little bit better today. That, we were happy with. Nu’u (Contrades) kind of busted out a little bit, which was great. It was only a matter of time with him and (Kien) Vu, went backside homer and that was big. Happy with the bounce back today. Yesterday I was pretty frustrated with how we lost that game yesterday, but they bounced back today and came out with a little bit better energy today.”
On Josh Butler’s stellar relief outing
“He was outstanding. Extremely happy for him as a young man, but the job he did was great. It’s just what we needed. Jack (Martinez) battled there and threw the ball really well, gave up the homer – and it wasn’t the homer, it was the two walks before the homer that kind of made the line score look a little bit worse than he threw. I think he threw the ball really well, but Josh came in there and saved the rest of the bullpen today which was big, with three innings. The recipe going into the game was gonna be hopefully Jack for five, Josh for two and then maybe (Cole) Carlon for two and try to finish it that way. But, we got an extra inning out of each of those guys, so it saves a couple more bullets for tomorrow.”
On offensive depth
“I think one thing that we’re establishing here early on is we have guys that are ready to play. If you’re scuffling a little bit, we got guys that are ready to go and we’re not afraid to use them. We’re gonna keep everybody going. We got alpha males in there that want to play. It just is what it is. We talked about that today with our group, that there’s only nine spots in the lineup card. So, if you want to stay in the lineup, then force me to write your name in the lineup every day. If not, we got guys behind you that are ready to play. We have 14 starters, at least, in that locker room that are ready to play, ready to go and that I have to keep mixing in and keep sharp.”
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Jeremy Hawkes
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