Halvorson's 13 Ks Pace Baseball Past Fullerton

FULLERTON - Sun Devil Baseball got an electric midweek start from Wyatt Halvorson and a big blast from Kien Vu en route to a 3-1 victory on the road at Cal State Fullerton on Tuesday evening. 
 
Halvorson struck out 13 batters in just five innings of work, recording 13 of his 15 total outs via punch out. It was tied for the seventh-most strikeouts by an ASU pitcher since 1998 and the most for a pitcher in 5.0 innings in that time. 
 
The Sun Devils would get all the offense they needed in the fourth inning behind Vu's two-run homer - his fourth in the last 13 games and giving him a tie for the team lead in RBIs in that stretch with 14. Steven Ondina notched an RBI squeeze bunt in the three-run frame which would be all the offense ASU would need. 
 
Jonah Giblin notched a hold as he entered the game in the fifth with ASU on top 3-1 but with the bases loaded and just one out. Giblin notched two of his four strikeouts in the frame en route to 2.2 scoreless innings of work. Jaden Alba came on in the ninth and retired the side in order for his first career save. The Sun Devil pitchers struck out 17 batters in the contest - matching a season high.
 
TURNING POINT
The game was all about the pitching and that started with Wyatt Halvorson as the freshman was dominant in his career-best 5.0 innings of work. The freshman recorded seven straight strikeouts between the final out of the first and through the end of the fourth - tied for the fourth-most consecutive strikeouts in program history. He recorded 12 consecutive outs by way of strikeout between the first and the fifth. More importantly, he didn't walk a single batter. 
 
BIG MOMENT
The Sun Devils didn't have a ton of offense but they got what they needed in the top of the fourth. Kevin Karstetter led off the frame with a single and Kien Vu wasted no time putting ASU on the board with a two-run shot into the safety netting over the right field wall. ASU wasn't finished, putting runners on the corners with one out and getting a masterful safety squeeze from Steven Ondina to plate a third run to give ASU a 3-0 lead that it never relinquished.
 
FINAL STRAW
Fullerton put forth its best effort at a rally in the bottom of the sixth, scoring a run with no outs on a safety squeeze of their own to get with 3-1 and loading the bases with one out to bring Jonah Giblin into the game. The veteran was unfazed, striking out the final two batters to strand the bases loaded. He would give ASU two more innings of scoreless relief for his first hold of the season before handing the ball off to Jadan Alba in the ninth inning. In front of essentially his hometown crowd, the freshman quickly fell behind 3-0 to the first batter he faced before settling in to retire the side in order for his first career save.
 
NOTABLES 

• Ryan Campos' second inning single means he has now reached base safely in 116-of-126 career games (92.1 percent) with the Sun Devils and all but one game this season.
• Kien Vu has been electric over the last 13 games since his start against UNLV, leading the team with a .421 average with four homers, four doubles and a team-best 14 RBIs. His .842 slugging percentage is over .200 points higher than the next closest eligible hitter on the team. 
• Wyatt Halvorson's seven consecutive strikeouts between the first and third innings were tied for the fourth-longest streak in ASU history.
• His 13 total strikeouts in the game were tied for the seventh-most at ASU since the 1998 season and the most since Adam Tulloch had 13 against San Francisco in 2022, though Tulloch accomplished the feat in seven innings. The last time a pitcher had more than 13 strikeouts in a game prior to Tulloch was Jake Borup (13) in 2010. Of the 15 pitchers since 1998 with 13+ strikeouts, Halvorson's 5.0 innings pitched were tied for the fewest with Jon Switzer against Southern Utah in 2001. 
• With the effort, ASU has now struck out double-digit batters in 18 of 37 games this season. 
• ASU held Fullerton scoreless in the first, the third straight game doing so, the first time ASU has done it in three consecutive games since its three-game series against Arizona from March 15-17.
• This season, ASU has now posted 30 3+ run innings and 18 4+ run innings following its three-run fourth.

 
INNING BY INNING 
First Inning
Nick McLain notched a one-out double off the wall in center field and Tobias followed that with a walk but a foul out to catcher and strikeout ended the threat. Halvorson gave up a leadoff single but notched three straight outs to strand it at third, sandwiched by a pair of strikeouts. 
 
Second Inning
Newman drew a two-out walk but that was the extent of the ASU offense in the frame. Halvorson walked the leadoff batter in the bottom half but struck out the side, all swinging, to strand him there. 
 
Third Inning
Campos led off with a single but a 1-6-3 GDP and groundout brought only the minimum to the plate. Halvorson continued to deal, striking out the side to make it seven consecutive strikeouts and eight for the game. 
 
Fourth Inning
The Sun Devil bats finally came to life with Karstetter singling to the shortstop and Vu wasting no time with a first pitch bomb into the home run netting in right to give ASU a 2-0 lead. A single and stolen base from Jackson would put him on third after an infield Newman single and he would score on a bunt single from Ondina to give ASU a 3-0 lead. Halvorson had his streak ended at seven straight strikeouts after a leadoff single before striking out the side to give him 11 for the game.
 
Fifth Inning
Vu drew a two-out walk but was picked off at first to end the frame. Halvorson gave up a leadoff double but pounced right back with two more strikeouts and a flyout to complete 5.0 scoreless frames with 13 strikeouts, no walks and no runs. 
 
Sixth Inning
The Sun Devils struck out in order and Fullerton put together its first threat of the day against Fitzpatrick, leading off the frame with a single and double to put runners in scoring position before scoring on a safety squeeze bunt. Another sac bunt and walk would load the bases with one out and bring Giblin into the game but the veteran got two huge strikeouts to to keep ASU on top 3-1.
 
Seventh Inning
Ondina singled to the third baseman but was doubled up at first on a Campos lineout to short and a popout again led to ASU only bringing the minimum to the plate. Giblin retired the first two hitters and stranded a two-out HBP with another strikeout. 
 
Eighth Inning
The Sun Devils went down in order and Gibline again worked around a two-out single that took second on a wild pitch with a lineout to a charging McLain in right.
 
Ninth Inning
ASU was unable to get any insurance, going down in order again. Alba came into the game in front of his hometown crowd and quickly fell behind 3-0 to the first batter he faced before settling in to retire the side in order and earn his first career save.
 
ON DECK: 
ASU will look to sweep the two-game midweek set tomorrow at Cal State Fullerton with first pitch at 6 p.m. AZT. The game will be available via ESPN+ and available over local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM.