Friday night’s baseball game saw a late-game collapse from Arizona State (5-1) as it conceded three runs in the ninth inning to eventually lose 8-7, its first defeat of the 2025 season. On Saturday afternoon, a refocused squad came out firing on all cylinders with no chance of letting this game fall through its cracks in a 12-5 win.

Allowing runs in just two innings, the Sun Devils shut out visiting Oral Roberts (4-1) in the last four innings of play. After a hot start on the mound from senior RHP Jack Martinez, the host went ahead 6-0 with just three innings gone. The fourth and fifth innings, however, would be a shootout with five Golden Eagle runs.

With the score sitting at 9-5 in the bottom of the fifth, it appeared a typical high-scoring contest would ensue, with neither team being able to slow the other down. Yet, when sophomore RHP Josh Butler took the mound for the Sun Devils to begin the seventh inning, Oral Roberts failed to stand a chance.

The 6-foot-7 pitcher would shut out the Golden Eagles in three innings with five strikeouts and 36 strikes on just 49 pitches. Setting the tone for the team and the season, Butler’s performance Saturday afternoon showed the vigor and importance of earning a series-splitting victory ahead of Sunday’s contest.

“I felt great,” Butler said. “It’s easy to come in after a guy like Jack who goes the first six. It’s a great feeling knowing that the coaching staff has your back, and I’ve got a good defense behind me, too.”

Martinez and Butler led the way for ASU’s 12-5 victory on Saturday as the defense was stifling the Oral Roberts offense. The Maroon and Gold’s bats were flying well with 12 hits on the day—double what the Golden Eagles would provide.

“Some guys swung the bat a little bit better today, which we were happy with,” ASU head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Happy with the bounce back today. Yesterday, I was pretty frustrated with how we lost that game. They came back with a little bit better energy today.”

Junior third-baseman Nu’u Contrades led the way offensively for ASU, going 3-for-5 with four runs scored, including a two-run shot to left center. Partner-in-crime junior right fielder Kien Vu had a two-run homer of his own to put ASU ahead 11-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning. For the duo, getting going early and often is the key to success, using Friday night’s defeat as motivation for a robust Saturday performance.

“It just gives me confidence to know that there’s such a deep lineup behind me,” Contrades said. “I’m just trying to do my job in the leadoff role and get on as much as I can.”

“All of our bats kind of came alive, the way I know they can,” Vu said. “That feels really good, so a step in the right direction for sure. I know we have a lot more in the ta,nk though, so it’s going to be exciting.”

The Sun Devils managed to get on base and put the ball in play with consistency. Conceding just three strikeouts on the day and none to the first two pitches it faced, ASU harped on its important mantra of ‘putting the ball in play’—something Vu and Bloomquist take pride in offensively.

“The coaches preach putting pressure on the defense,” Vu said. “Can’t really do that if you’re striking out, so we’ve kind of refined our two-strike approach. If we do get into that kind of hole, it’s battling our butts off to get out of that and just put something in play.

“Our team goal is six on the day, so we met that goal by only getting three today. It’s good, and it’s what our philosophy is for sure.”

Additionally, Bloomquist expanded on the importance of the message during his postgame press conference, acknowledging not only the analytical benefit but also the moral boost and selflessness that comes from not swinging for the fences when down two strikes, giving your teammates the opportunity to make plays themselves.

“First two strikes are yours; the third is for the boys in the dugout,” Bloomquist said. “Putting the ball in play makes good things happen…you put pressure on the defenses, and especially in our ballpark, we know how it plays here.”

“The infield is fast, and that sun can be our friend as it was [Saturday], and against Ohio State, at one time, the longest walk in baseball was after you struck out and walked back to the dugout. Baseball has kind of gotten away from that, and we’re trying to be a little bit different. Take that to heart and battle for your team.”

For Bloomquist, using just two pitchers is a major benefit for the bullpen heading into Sunday’s contest of the series. Typically, Saturdays force the coaching staff to rely on three or four pitchers to get through the day; however, the play of Martinez and Butler sets the Sun Devils up for a primed Sunday contest.

“The job he did was great; it was just what we needed,” Bloomquist noted on Martinez’s play. “Jack battled and threw the ball really well, and having Josh come in and save the rest of our bullpen was big. We got an extra inning out of each of those guys, so it saves a couple more bullets for tomorrow.”

Where depth isn’t a problem for ASU is in the remainder of the lineup. With Bloomquist wanting to rotate players in and out of the lineup, it’s becoming increasingly important for players to stay ready and give the skipper motivation to trust them come game time.

“We’ve got alpha males in there that want to play,” he noted. “We talked about that today with our group—we only got nine spots on the lineup card. So, if you want to stay in the lineup, then force me to write your name on the lineup card every day.”

One player who benefited from rotational time is freshman second baseman Beckett Zavorek, who made his first start of the season Saturday. Zavorek finished 1-3 on the day with a single and a run scored. His play exemplifies Bloomquist’s desire to foster an engaged group. Zavorek took the place of redshirt junior Kyle Walker, who started all five games before Saturday. Walker’s season batting average is just .111 through the first six games.

“Sky’s the limit for him, and one thing we’re establishing early on is we have guys here that are ready to play, and if you’re scuffling a little bit, we’re ready to use them,” Bloomquist said. “We’ve got guys who are ready to go. We’ve got at least 14 starters who are ready to go, and Beckett is one of those guys who’s in that mix. He’s a freshman, but he’s got some talent, and he’s going to be a very bright spot and have a bright career at ASU.”

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