After losing their last four games and barely slipping their way into the tournament, the Sun Devils put all talk to rest with a tight and stressful 4-2 win over No. 23 UC Irvine thanks to a consistent pitching effort and quality bats.
Pitching consistency has been an issue ASU has faced this season, but a trio effort from junior Ben Jacobs, redshirt senior Jonah Giblin and sophomore Cole Carlon was the focal reason for the team’s success Friday night.
Jacobs, who started the game, allowed his pitch count to shoot up quickly, but held it together by only allowing two runs and three hits in his five innings pitched.
"That's Benny’s thing, is trying to attack the zone, and be efficient, and sometimes his pitch count can get up there. … but when he's in the zone he's awful tough," head coach Willie Bloomquist said during a broadcast interview.
Jacobs found himself in a couple holes, allowing the Anteaters to reach second and third base with only one out in the bottom of the fifth. However, he held firm and got the next two batters out. Giblin pitched just over two innings and contributed three strikeouts, and Carlon accumulated two strikeouts to close out the game.
Pitching on the other side was great, too. UC Irvine’s Trevor Hansen had his offspeed pitches working, making it difficult for ASU to connect with the ball.
"This young man (Hansen) is doing a really good job changing speeds on us and keeping us off balance a little bit," Bloomquist said.
Those offspeed pitches played a big part in his eight strikeouts. But the ASU bats came up clutch regardless.
Junior outfielder Isaiah Jackson and senior first baseman Jacob Tobias both had an outstanding game and led the Sun Devil offense.
Tobias went 3-for-4, including a home run and two doubles, driving in an RBI and scoring three runs. Jackson, who jumped up in the lineup today from eighth to sixth, went 2-for-4, hitting a home run and a single that drove in a run, extending ASU’s lead to 4-2.
The Sun Devils will face No. 15, and 1-seed, UCLA in the winner’s bracket Saturday at 6 p.m. The Bruins are coming off of a 19-run barrage against Fresno State, so the Sun Devil pitching core is going to have to stay hot if they want a chance to reach the regional final.
Edited by Katrina Michalak and Leah Mesquita.
Reach the reporter at jkmccar2@asu.edu and follow @jackmccarthyasu on X.
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Jack McCarthy is a senior studying sports journalism with a minor in business. This is his third semester with The State Press. He has also worked as a sports reporter.
