For Arizona State pitcher Ben Jacobs, strikeouts seem easy with his deceptive left-handed release. Currently sitting sixth in the Big 12 in strikeouts, the visiting Red Raiders had every reason to expect a tough night at the plate.

Jacobs eclipsed a staggering 13 strikeouts on the evening, setting a new career high and giving his struggling teammates the momentum they needed.

“I was able to attack the zone and get ahead early, and that’s where I do my best,” Jacobs said. “Just establishing the zone and getting ahead of hitters, I just executed whenever I got two strikes.”

ASU (24-14, 10-6 Big 12) had struggled to get anything going on its recent road trip against Cincinnati and Purdue, coming into Friday's game having lost two straight on the losing end of walk-off knocks.

Head coach Willie Bloomquist didn’t shy away from the 1-3 stretch but embraced it as an opportunity for growth.

“It’s baseball, sometimes it doesn’t go your way,” Bloomquist said. “Name a game we've blown out this year. We’ve been in every game all year long.”

Texas Tech (11-22, 7-9 Big 12) struggled to minimize the damage from the Sun Devil batters, pitching six different arms in the loss.

The Red Raiders grabbed the momentum when they tied the game in the top of the third on Logan Hughes’ sixth double of the season. Nevertheless, this was the only frame Jacobs slipped up, as he went on to pitch three more shutout innings. 

Things finally went the Sun Devils' way, a rally sparked by center fielder Isaiah Jackson. After recording only one hit on the Midwestern road trip, Jackson opened Friday’s game with a statement three-run bomb to right-center field.

Jackson accounted for four of the team’s nine runs, his second-most RBIs in a game this season. 

The junior outfielder recently made adjustments to his swing following his cold stretch, spending the week working on his mechanics to ensure he could make a difference in this critical Big 12 series.

“There are always changes that you make every once in a while, but you try not to think about mechanics,” Jackson said. “When you're going good, you never think about your swing.”

His homer lit a fire under the rest of the lineup, as all but one Sun Devil recorded a hit, and two more went deep.

Matt King continued his red-hot stretch, cranking his fourth home run of April in the bottom of the eighth.

King finished the night with three hits and two RBIs, his fourth straight multi-hit game that extended his hitting streak to 15 games. 

“I’m just swinging out there without hesitation,” King said. “I’m getting exactly the pitch I want, and I’m just trying to do damage on it.”

Arizona State led by only a run heading into the bottom of the eighth, a situation that had burned them in recent games. But a no-doubt, three-run homer from Josiah Cromwick gave the Sun Devils all the insurance they needed.

Outside of Jacobs, the bullpen only needed two more arms to close out the win. The dominant southpaw Cole Carlon impressed again, tossing two innings of one-run ball on 38 pitches.

Carlon now boasts 56 strikeouts on the season against just 13 walks. He has become a go-to option for Bloomquist in tight late-game scenarios.

“He’s just continuing to mature and have confidence in himself, learn his repertoire,” Bloomquist said. “Just understanding how his pitches work and that confidence, he’s doing outstanding.”

The Sun Devils will look to win the series Saturday night under the lights at 7 p.m., with Jack Martinez likely getting the start.

“We’re home for quite a while here in this next stretch,” Bloomquist said. “Our main focus is one day at a time, one game at a time.”