A sensational weekend from star sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston wasn't enough, as No. 25 ASU missed a chance to secure a statement series win over No. 13 West Virginia.
Hairston went 7-13 with four home runs and drove in 11 of ASU's 26 runs, but the Sun Devils dropped the final two games of the series to the Mountaineers to suffer their first Big 12 series loss of the season.
"He's kind of on another level right now than everybody else," head coach Willie Bloomquist said. "(He's) in that zone where you just let him go and do his thing. He's been playing outstanding."
The finale started the same way the opener did, as Hairston blasted his 15th home run of the season, good for sixth most in the country, in front of an awe-inspired Phoenix Municipal Stadium crowd.
ASU's offense went silent for the next five innings, allowing West Virginia to build momentum.
The gut punch to the Sun Devils came in the top of the 6th, after five scoreless innings from right-handed senior starter Kole Klecker. With the bases loaded and one out, West Virginia's Sean Smith stepped up and roped a ball that cleared the right-center field wall, giving the Mountaineers a lead they would not relinquish.
The Mountaineers handed ASU a 9-5 loss in the rubber match.
"Got to close it out," fifth-year right fielder Dean Toigo said. "Doesn't matter how you start. You've got to close it out."
Saturday's nightcap spiraled early, with junior right-hander Alex Overbay getting tagged for seven earned runs in only 2.1 innings pitched.
The hole dug by West Virginia proved too steep for ASU to climb out of, despite a late-inning rally. The Sun Devils dropped game two, 13-7.
Hairston homered and doubled, driving in two in the losing effort.
Friday night's opener proved to be the magnum opus of Hairston's 2026 season to this point.
His night was encapsulated by his Superman-like catch, where he leaped through the warm night sky under the Muni lights to make the grab, saving at least one run.
The Sun Devil faithful greeted Hairston with a standing ovation as he returned to the dugout.
The Casteel grad homered twice, walked twice, drove in eight runs and stole a base.
"Everything was clicking," Hairston said. "It's pretty rare to have a game like that. I mean, it's the hardest game in the world. So having a night like that's pretty fun, and getting involved with the fans is always fun."
His fourth-inning homer was his fourth grand slam of the season, tying the ASU single-season record set by Jeff Larish in 2003 in just 26 games. That mark also leads the nation this year.
"It's pretty cool," Hairston said on his record-breaking pace. "But I think it's more of a team thing than anything. Hitting a homer is one thing, but having guys get on base all the time for you is another thing. I can't thank them enough for that."
Junior left-hander Cole Carlon struck out seven in 4.1 innings while allowing three runs before turning it over to sophomore right-hander Taylor Penn, who tossed 2.2 innings to pick up his fourth win of the season.
Redshirt junior second baseman Nu'u Contrades, in his first series starting after returning from injury, also homered twice, and redshirt sophomore catcher Brody Briggs reached base five times, notching two hits and three walks in the 14-4 victory in eight innings.
ASU had a lot of good and a fair share of bad in the series against the Mountaineers. Bloomquist still feels the best is yet to come, but only if things get cleaned up first.
"I know there's more in there for sure, and that's our job to get the maximum out of it," Bloomquist said. "At some point, we hopefully will peak and hit our stride. I think we're close, but we're not quite there yet."
After a win against San Diego State on Monday, the Sun Devils will head down south to take on Arizona for their next conference series starting Thursday.
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Ellis Preston.
Reach the reporter at eapache3@asu.edu.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on X.
