Baseball Rolls Past Trojans in Series Opener

PHOENIX - With a light show painting the night sky in the backdrop of Phoenix Municipal Stadium, a laser show was going on inside the park as Sun Devil Baseball routed USC, 12-1, in the opener of the final Pac-12 era series between the two teams. 
 
As the lightning danced in the distance to the north over the Papago Mountains, ASU (21-21, 11-11 Pac-12) erupted for 12 runs on 15 hits with four homers, a double and a triple, jumping out to a 9-0 lead through five and never looking back.
 
Ben Jacobs had the best start of his collegiate career on the mound, punching out a career-best 11 batters in a career-high 6.1 innings of work while allowing just a single run on a wind-aided solo shot in the sixth inning. 
 
The Sun Devil bats did the rest, putting up a five-spot in the second inning and scoring in four-straight frames to put the game out of reach. Isaiah Jackson, Jacob Tobias, Ryan Campos and Steven Ondina all homered, with Jackson going 4-for-4 on the night and Campos 3-for-5. Ondina led the way with three RBIs, all coming on his second homer of the season and second hit of the night in the eighth. Campos, Nick McLain and Mario Demera all added two RBIs as well on a night where every Sun Devl starter got a hit and seven recorded an RBI. 
 
TURNING POINT
The Sun Devils continued to score early and often, this time unleashing five runs in the bottom of the second. Jacob Tobias led off the frame with a solo shot to get the scoring started. A double from Brandon Compton and one-out single from Isaiah Jackson put runners on the corners and Mario Demera plated another run with a sac fly to make it 2-0. Steven Ondina legged out an infield single right off the pitcher and Ryan Campos plated another run with his RBI single. After a Vu walk, McLain brought two more across with a single of his own to make it 5-0 and that was all she wrote as ASU cruised from there. 
 
BIG MOMENT
Ben Jacobs was electric throughout the start as he moved to 5-2 on the season. The sophomore struck out a career-high 11 batters, with the highlight of those coming in the fifth inning. With runners on the corners and no outs, Jacobs struck out the side to leave both runners right where he left them and keeping ASU on top, 8-0. Jacobs scattered seven hits throughout the night but held USC's dangerous lefties to just 2-for-12 hitting while he was in the game en route to his career-high 6.1 innings of one-run ball. 
 
FINAL STRAW
Matt Tieding handled the back end of the game and did so valiantly, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to save the ASU bullpen for the remainder of the series. Ondina put the exclamation point on the evening with a no-doubt three run shot in the bottom of the eighth to make it a 12-1 game and give ASU its fourth long ball of the night - the most allowed by USC in a game this season. 
 
NOTABLES 

• Ryan Campos' second inning single means he has now reached base safely in 121-of-131 career games (92.4 percent) with the Sun Devils and all but one game this season.
• While the start to the season was uncharacteristic at the plate for Campos, he has turned it on during Pac-12 play and is now batting a team-best .337 in league games and holds the team team with 21 RBIs.
• With another hit, Kien Vu continued his electric 18-game stretch that started with his start against UNLV. In that time, he leads the team with a .458 average with six homers, four doubles and a team-best 20 RBIs. His .831 slugging percentage is tops on the team. He's also a perfect 6-for-6 on stolen bases in that time. 
• Quietly in that 18-game stretch, Mario Demera now has 15 RBIs with two more tonight - the third-best total on the squad. 
• With tonight's effort, Jacob Tobias is now batting a team-best .337 (tied with Campos) in Pac-12 games with eight homers, six doubles and 16 RBIs.
• Isaiah Jackson notched his first career four-hit game. 
• ASU reached double digit hits for the 26th time in 42 games, having 15 today.
• The eight earned runs allowed by USC starter Tyler Stromsborg in just three innings were the most he has given up this season (the previous being 6 in 5.0 innings). In fact, it was the most the senior had allowed in his career, which includes 34 starts in 38 appearances and 184.2 innings pitched entering the night.
• The pitchers also struck out 14 batters, the 22nd time this season the team has struck out double-digit batters. It already surpasses the TOTAL number of such games the team achieved last year.
• Ben Jacobs' career-high 11 strikeouts today mark him as the third DIFFERENT ASU pitcher to record a 10 strikeout game this season, joining Wyatt Halvorson (13) and Hunter Omlid (11).
• This season, ASU has now posted 34 3+ run innings and 20 4+ run innings following its five-run second and three-run eighth. It was the eighth time this season ASU plated at least five runs in an inning.
• ASU has held opponents to three runs or less in six of the last eight games. It had just four games in the first 34 this season allowing three runs or less. 
• ASU has allowed just seven runs in the last four games, the fewest it has given up in a four-game stretch since March 5-12 in 2021 (three-game series vs. Utah and one game vs. Cal State Fullerton), where it gave up just four. 
• ASU's four home runs off the Trojans were the most USC has given up in a game this season.

 
INNING BY INNING 
First Inning
Jacobs made quick work of the first two batters with a pair of strikeouts before a tough luck on a mile-high pop-up that got lost in the wind stream and dropped for an infield single. Demera made a nice diving stab at the hot corner to record the final out and a scoreless frame for ASU. Vu put a good swing on one in the bottom half of the frame but the left fielder made a nice play in the gap to rob extra bases as ASU went down in order.
 
Second Inning
Jacobs worked around a one-out seeing eye single, stranding the runner at second with his third strikeout of the game. The Sun Devils erupted for five runs in the bottom half, batting around the order starting with a leadoff oppo taco from Tobias. A double from Compton and one out single from Jackson put runners on the corners and Demera plated another one with a sac fly to make it 2-0. Ondina legged out an infield single right off the pitcher and Campos plated another run with his RBI single. After a Vu walk, McLain brought two more across with a single of his own to make it 5-0. ASU tried to tack on another as Vu tried to score on a wild pitch but a nice play was made at the plate with the catcher getting it back to the pitcher covering home to end the frame but the damage was done. 
 
Third Inning
Jacobs struck out the side to give him six in the early going. ASU wasn't done scoring as Tobias drew a leadoff walk and scored on Mendoza's triple. Jackson reached on another mile high infield single and Demera plated his second RBI with a single up to middle. A tough check-swing straight to the pitcher led to an inning ending double play but not before ASU had made it 7-0. 
 
Fourth Inning
The Sun Devil defense giveth but taketh away in the frame after allowing a two-base error to lead off the frame and a one-out single put runners on the corners. USC made the mistake of challenging McLain's arm on a shallow fly ball, however, and the right fielder easily hosed down the runner for an inning ending double play to keep USC off the board. Campos led off the frame with his ninth homer of the year to chase the USC starter with an 8-0 lead. Vu singled past the shortstop but was thrown out trying to stretch it to two and the next two batters went down in order to end the frame. 
 
Fifth Inning
Jacobs had runners on the corners with no outs and was unfazed, striking out the next three batters to give him ten on the night and keep USC off the board. Jackson added to the hit and homer parade with a two-out opposite field shot to make it 9-0.
 
Sixth Inning
The shutout ended with a one-out solo shot to center field but Jacobs got the final two outs, including his 11th strikeout of the game. The Sun Devils went down in order, keeping it 9-1. 
 
Seventh Inning
Jacobs' day came to an end with a fielder's choice as he got through a career-best 6.1 innings of work and his first career quality start. Matt Tieding got the final two outs of the frame, stranding an inherited runner to maintain Jacobs' solid line. The Sun Devils went down in order for the second straight frame. 
 
Eighth Inning
Tieding worked around a two-out walk, the first walk of the night, but got a nice play out of Jackson in center on a hard struck ball for the final out of the frame. Jackson notched his fourth hit of the night with one out and Demera followed with a single and Ondina capped off the huge offensive evening with a three-run bomb to make it 12-1.
 
Ninth Inning
USC got a runner on with two outs on an infield single but Ondina made a nice play in the hole and a throw across his body for the final out and ASU's fourth-straight win.
 
ON DECK: 
The Sun Devils will look to claim their second-straight series tomorrow with first pitch against the Trojans scheduled for 6:30 p.m. AZT at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. The game will be available through the ASU Live Stream and over the local airwaves on KDUS 1060 AM.