After winning their first Big 12 series against TCU, Arizona State returned home on to face one of the country's top offenses in Kansas. The Jayhawks, who are off to their best 20-game start in program history, scored 29 points over Minnesota only last week, but the Sun Devils are no stranger to a high-powered offensive attack, having scored a season-high 26 runs against the Horned Frogs last Saturday, followed by a 12-run game the next day to win the series.
With two scorching hot offenses colliding in Phoenix Municipal Stadium, a barrage of runs on Friday night was anticipated. Yet, the visitors went mute on offense, with ASU serving as the silencer. The Sun Devils (15-7, 3-1 Big 12) were able to take down the red-hot Jayhawks (17-5, 2-2), 9-2, backed by junior left-handed ASU pitcher Ben Jacobs' 8 strikeouts and zero earned runs in 4 innings.
Kansas came into this game with a 17-4 record and ranked 10th in the country in runs per game, but they remained unranked as a team. A big portion of this is due to their middling non-conference schedule, which appeared to be uncompetitive at times against far lesser teams. Their first genuine test came against No. 23 Arizona, in which they were shut out 5-0.
A matchup against an ASU squad that had the names and track record to qualify as a competitive series provided an opportunity to demonstrate their offense's legitimacy. Tonight, Jacobs, senior right-handed pitcher Jonah Giblin, and sophomore left-handed pitcher Cole Carlon attempted to prove differently, combining for 9 innings, 4 hits, one earned run, and 16 strikeouts.
The caveat to all of this success was Ben Jacobs' seven walks, a confusing mark, but the results spoke for themselves. Jacobs was able to work out of a bases-loaded no-out jam in the first inning after walking the first three batters, establishing a pattern for the entire pitching staff to do so throughout the night.
"Obviously, I didn't have my best stuff tonight," Jacobs said. "But I'm pretty proud of myself for how I was able to bounce back and that's really all that matters at the end of the day, is putting zeroes up and helping us win so walks aren't pretty but as long as they're not coming across the plate, I'm happy and we're all happy."
In a game with nine runs, there had to be a few standouts, and junior infielder Kyle Walker and senior catcher Josiah Cromwick are starting to become regulars in that category. Cromwick enjoyed his first career multi-home run game, with a solo bomb to right field to start the scoring, then a two-run rocket to straightaway center, putting ASU up by four early.
Walker, on the other side, had another three-hit game, his fourth straight. Walker's batting average was only .188 on March 7th, but after three hits today, he currently leads the club with a .328 average.
The Grambling State transfer has found his stride.
“His energy at the top of the lineup has just been outstanding,” Head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “You know, ever since we lost (Kien Vu) to injury, he's stepped into that leadoff spot and just done tremendous. He plays with a ton of energy, and I'm loving watching the success he's having.”
The Sun Devils scored seven runs against Kansas' starter, junior right-handed pitcher Dominic Voegele, who threw seven shutouts against Baylor in his last outing. Voegele was the Big 12 preseason pitcher of the year, and the game against Jacobs was meant to be the pitchers' duel of the series, but it devolved into a one-sided fight, with Voegele unable to keep ASU quiet.
Keep quiet is another way to describe what the ASU pitching staff was able to accomplish to the Jayhawk offense all night. Kansas entered this game with five players with an OPS of 1.000 or above, as they limited those five bats to three hits and struck out six times.
Jackson Hauge, a senior outfielder, was among those with an OPS above 1.000. On Monday, Hauge was selected Big 12 player of the week, and after a four-home run week, he was ranked fifth nationally in home runs. The blazing power bat went hitless on Friday night, striking out twice in three at-bats.
Giblin and Carlon combined for eight strikeouts in five innings.
“Jonah (Giblin) came in, attacked the zone outstandingly,” Bloomquist said. “When they're attacking the zone, throwing your off-speed pitches for strikes, it makes it challenging for the other hitters…Cole (Carlon) did a good job slamming the door and getting that done. So again, the guys coming out of the pen, attacking the zone, throwing strikes, forcing them to beat you with hits versus walks. That helps my blood pressure.”
A large stepping stone for the Sun Devils today was able to put together a complete game from all aspects. Not just the starting pitching, but the bullpen holding the game and sustaining a lead fairly stress free.
Bloomquist will be the first to tell you that having only three arms tonight was enormous, as was being able to keep "most of your bullets in the gun" as he puts it.
This comes on top of an offense that had five guys with multiple hits and scored a run in five of their eight innings at the plate. Leaving relief in a difficulty caused by adding runs as the game progressed, resulting in a very optimistic win over a very sound Jayhawk squad.
“I saw one good game tonight, so let's see if they can back it up,” Bloomquist said. “They did it up against a phenomenal young man that throws the heck out of the ball for them. (Voegele’s) had a lot of success here in his last couple of years, and for us to come out to put up seven runs off of him, that was an impressive night.”
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