PHOENIX– Arizona State (12-4) used a five-run fourth inning to beat Arizona (6-10) to end non-conference play Tuesday night, 10-4.
5-run inning cruises
Fifth-year outfielder Dean Toigo and
sophomore 1B/OF Landon Hairston both hit two-run home runs in the fourth that extended the Arizona State lead to 6-1. It continues what has been a phenomenal start to the season for Hairston, who is now hitting .424 while being tied for the team lead in homers.
“Being a freshman last year, kind of scrap your way into the lineup,” Hairston said. “Take your hits, be a little scrappy guy, being confident now, knowing that I don’t really have to cheat to anything, it’s been huge.”
“We’re going to need those guys to be productive,” Bloomquist said. “Obviously, it’s great to have them productive anyway, but with the absence of Nu’u, we’re going to need those guys to step up.”
Bullpen excels
Junior right-hander Colin Linder served as the opener following his step back from the weekend rotation. He threw the first two innings, allowing just one run to cross, but it took him 43 pitches as he seemed to slip back into struggling to attack the zone and keep his pitch count down.
Linder pitched Friday in relief for the first time this season and recorded 2 ⅔ perfect innings with five strikeouts. It took just 40 pitches.
Senior left-hander Sean Fitzpatrick recorded his longest outing in 712 days (in terms of innings), three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four batters. While Fitzpatrick admitted that he didn’t expect to go three innings, he stepped up to the opportunity.
“The way Fitzy was throwing the ball, it’s tough to take him out right there,” Bloomquist said. “He was being very effective, and I wanted to win this one; this was a big one.”
Despite the game not being for conference play, Bloomquist acknowledged that the win definitely felt like more than just one win.
“It’s nice to jump out and get the first one against these guys,” Bloomquist said. “We played pretty well on most facets of the game tonight. It’s a big, big step for us to get that first win tonight.
“We know they’ve started off slow, but they’re a much better team than their record indicates. In my opinion, they have some young guys that are getting their feet wet and really going to be talented young players that are starting to find their rhythm and timing. You can just see they’re much more complete when they were early on, dropping some games. They’re going to be tough moving forward, obviously, as we expect.”
ASU’s 2026 Big 12 journey will begin Friday night against No. 17 TCU at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
TCU will be without two huge stars, with both junior right-hander Tommy LaPour and sophomore two-way player Noah Franco will both be absent due to injuries.
