Saturday saw Arizona State (2-0) take the integral next step, taking down Ohio State (0-2) in a 7-6 walk-off extravaganza.

The difference maker came on a bases-loaded, two-out double to center off the bat of sophomore designated hitter Brandon Compton, who capped off a three-hit, four-RBI day. 

Off the bat, Coach Willie Bloomquist thought the ball would be caught to end the game, but a ray of sunshine worked in ASU’s favor, preventing the center fielder from making the play.

“That’s a Tempe-Phoenix-Muni sunball that you can’t do much about,” Bloomquist said.

Compton, a top-50 MLB draft prospect according to D1Baseball, has taken his seat at the table of premier power bats in college baseball following his 2024 breakout campaign.

Bloomquist has nearly run out of great things to say about Compton but commends his attitude as one of the best on the team.

“He’s not one of those guys that rolls out of bed and just uses talent,” Bloomquist said. “He’s a guy that’s worked for it day in and day out.”

In addition to his walk-off knock, Compton got the scoring started for the Sun Devils in the first on a mammoth 445-foot two-run blast to right center, applying pressure on the Ohio State staff early.

“I’d like to see us put a lot of pressure on those guys and maybe put the game in motion a little bit more if we can,” Bloomquist said. “I think that’s what I want our offense to be.”

While the pressure was applied early, it was not applied often. 

From the second inning through the fifth, the Sun Devils were a collective 2-14 (.143) against Ohio State’s Chase Herrell, who induced six flyouts, three groundouts, and four punchouts in that span. 

The offense’s sluggishness gave way for the Buckeyes to battle back and take a 4-2 lead, matching their highest lead of the series. 

Senior right-hander and University of Louisiana at Lafayette transfer Jack Martinez was tabbed with three earned runs in his first start as a Sun Devil, though the damage never fazed him. 

After his 89th pitch and eighth strikeout of the ballgame, Martinez was finally relieved after five and a third innings, a testament to his ability to stay competitive late in games. 

“Overall, I thought he threw the ball outstanding,” Bloomquist said. “He wanted to keep going.”

The M.O. changed for ASU’s offense in the bottom of the sixth, when the flyouts turned into line-drive singles from Compton, Kien Vu, and Isaiah Jackson, bringing home a pair of runs to tie the game.

From the sixth inning on, ASU made the turnaround offensively, going 7-16 (.438) and continuing to go toe-to-toe with Ohio State’s scrappy lineup.

“That pitcher was pretty good about keeping the ball up with some ride and stuff,” Compton said. “But we definitely made the adjustment and, you know, we got into the bullpen and good things happen when you do so.”

Brody Briggs, a sophomore catcher who redshirted in 2024, stood out in his first collegiate start, going 3-4 at the dish with a double and a leadoff single in the ninth inning that began the rally in the late stages. 

“I’ve been working towards this for a while,” Briggs said. “It was good to finally get out there to help and just compete.”

The efforts by Briggs have not gone unsung, as his hard work helped him win the Alvin Davis Leadership Award at the team’s postseason banquet last year for his services as the team's go-to bullpen catcher.

“I was so excited for Brody,” Bloomquist said. “Here’s a kid that came here from Oklahoma, redshirted last year, did nothing but catch probably a million bullpens, kept his mouth shut, and continued to work hard. That one was exciting for me to praise him in front of the team.”

The Sun Devils have now begun the season 2-0 for the second straight year, but Bloomquist knows the series finale will be their toughest battle yet.

“They’re a team that is very well coached,” Bloomquist said. “They battle with two strikes, they run the bases hard and they run them smart. These guys expose every little weakness you got, man, and if you don’t cover it and turn over every stone, you’re gonna get exposed.”

ASU’s mentality on the base paths was one of those exposed weaknesses, as a few mid-game rallies were cut short on broken-up steals.

Vu, who aggressively stole third in the bottom of the seventh to become the potential go-ahead run, got caught stealing home by half a step in what was almost a big momentum shift.

“Bloomy came and talked to me and he was just like ‘You better steal some bags now’,” Vu said. “That’s what I tried to do and then we got thrown out at home, but we still won.”

Bloomquist admitted fault for the send while also mentioning he’d execute the same play if given a do-over. 

“I told him ‘Let’s roll the dice right here’,” Bloomquist said. “But sometimes you roll the dice and lose and that was just a case that I was just a little bit over-aggressive.”

Arizona State will look to hone in on their aggression on Sunday, as they’ll front sophomore right-hander Jaden Alba in the series finale, first pitch set for 1 p.m.