There was no other person in Phoenix Municipal more stressed than Sun Devil closer Will Koger, who found himself in a pickle with two runners in scoring position, a full count on Oral Roberts’ leadoff man, and the first two outs already under his belt.
The next pitch missed for a ball to load the bases for the heart of the order, who delivered a pair of RBI singles to give Oral Roberts (4-0) the lead over Arizona State (4-1), a lead they would hold onto for an 8-7 gut-punch victory.
Koger, attempting to secure his third save of the season, would ultimately surrender his first blown save for the maroon and gold.
The night started on the right note with two ASU star transfers making their presence known on the mound.
Junior pitcher Ben Jacobs tossed five innings in his start, and although he surrendered three solo shots, he tied his career high of 11 strikeouts.
“I was pitching with confidence tonight,” Jacobs said, “When I go out there and trust my stuff and think that I'm the best one out there, things go well.”
The other star transfer on the bump was Jordyn Tyson, a star receiver for ASU’s football team who threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Like Jacobs, Tyson benefited from transferring to Tempe, and both players are names to watch in their professional league's upcoming drafts.
Going into the sixth inning, the vibes were high at Phoenix Municipal Stadium as ASU led 7-3.
But as fate would have it, bullpen woes led to the Sun Devils' demise, a trend that head coach Willie Bloomquist wasn’t fond of.
“Our offense went to sleep after the fifth and decided that was enough, and we had plenty of opportunities to cash in more runs. We just didn't,” Bloomquist said.
Golden Eagles center fielder Makani Tanaka was 0-4 walking into his final at-bat in the ninth inning before hitting the game-tying two-run single.
To add insult to injury, Tanaka started off the bottom of the ninth with a diving catch, giving closer Dalton Patten the momentum to earn his second save of the season.
The bright spot of the game for ASU was the ten stolen bases they collected on the base paths, which tied the program record for most in a game.
Redshirt senior Jonah Giblin gave up two earned runs in his 1.2 IP after taking the ball from Jacobs.
Junior Lucas Kelly fired a scoreless frame in the eighth inning but didn’t return for the ninth despite tossing just 12 pitches.
The Sun Devils failed to do much damage at the plate, batting .243 as a team and leaving 11 men on base, an uncharacteristic performance from the usually potent lineup.
“We just couldn't finish the job offensively, so I was disappointed in that part of it,” Bloomquist said.
Redshirt junior Jonathan Hernandez started at DH and got subbed in for freshman Landon Hairston, who went two-for-three with an RBI.
Hairston was the No. 11th ranked high school player in Arizona of the 2024 class by Perfect Game, who got his first action in the second game against Ohio State, but his first plate appearance tonight.
“He's been waiting for his turn, and he's got his opportunity, and he'll play tomorrow,” Bloomquist said.
In the first inning, Jacobs allowed a bomb to leadoff hitter senior Will Edmunson. Then he settled in until giving up two solo blasts in the fifth inning to seniors Jack Schark and Martell Davis.
“I cheated ahead, and they guessed right. Can’t do much about it. Solo home runs don’t really damage us,” Jacobs said.
The only long ball from a Sun Devil bat was graduate catcher Josiah Cromwick in the second inning to tie it up at one.
Cromwick's long ball was the first of many runs given up by starting pitcher Weston Rouse for Oral Roberts, who surrendered seven in his four and a third innings of work.
“We need to stay with our approach throughout the game, every inning,” Cromwick said.
Juniors Kien Vu and Isaiah Jackson were the other Sun Devils to add RBIs in the matchup. Vu came on a fielder’s choice in the third inning, and Jackson’s two-RBI single extended ASU’s lead in the fifth.
Senior outfielder Cooper Combs smoked a two-run no-doubt shot in the sixth inning to get Oral Roberts in striking distance before making their move in the ninth, where Kane-Yates rifled one into shallow center to give the Golden Eagles their first lead since the second inning.
Two games remain in the series between the two squads. Tomorrow's first pitch is scheduled for 1:00 pm, where ASU will try to bounce back from their first loss of 2025, and Oral Roberts will look to remain undefeated.
“They got punched in the mouth and see how they respond,” Bloomquist said “So, you know, credit to Oral Roberts. They scrapped. They got down, and they kept coming back at us, and we couldn't finish the job.”