ASU Baseball Begins Season 2-0 Behind High Scoring Third Inning

The 2026 Arizona State campaign is off to a positive start after taking down Omaha again.

Arizona State manager Willie Bloomquist makes a pitching change during the seventh inning against Ohio State at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Feb. 16, 2025. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

TEMPE -- The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-0) continued to start off year five of the Willie Bloomquist era on a high note in taking down the visiting Omaha Mavericks (0-2) by a score of 11-5 in game two of the three-game series at home on Saturday afternoon.

The Sun Devils won the season opener on Friday night by a score of 8-2, with an exceptional performance by starting pitcher Cole Carlon being at the center of the win.

Follow the happenings of Saturday afternoon's game below with Arizona State on SI.

May 16, 2023; Tempe, AZ, USA; Casteel Colts Landon Hairston (2) rounds third base on his way to scoring against the Catalina Foothills Falcons during their 5A State Championship at at Tempe Diablo Stadium. | Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

Scoring Plays

Second Inning: Matt Polk hits a solo home run in his first at-bat of the season to get the scoring going.

Third Inning: Beckett Zavorek breaks the 1-1 tie with an RBI single

Third Inning: Nuu Contrades hits grand slam to left field to extend lead to 6-1. Contrades continued the success that he found in the season opener on Friday.

Fifth Inning: Dominic Smaldino hit a 423 foot solo home run to right field, extending the advantage to 7-1.

Sixth Inning: Dean Toigo hit a 362 foot home run to right field, again boosting Arizona State's lead to 8-1. The UNLV transfer has widely been expected to be the Sun Devils' top power hitter this season, and he delivered with his first homer of the 2026 campaign.

Seventh Inning: A Landon Hairston double scored Dominic Longo and Coen Niclai. Beckett Zavorek hit a sacrifice fly that scored Hairston.

Key Players

Colin Linder was solid for the most part in his season debut as a starting pithcer. Linder threw 81 pitches across four innings - striking out three batters and only allowing one run in the process.

Nuu Contrades continued a hot start to the season with a frand slam that broke the game open for the second consecutive night. Contrades is in his fourth season as a member of the program, coming off of a season in which he knocked in 38 RBI's and stole 14 bases in.

Dean Toigo brought the power bat to the table that had been hoped he would bring coming into the season. The Sun Devils effectively replaced losing Isaiah Jackson's production as a power hitter with Toigo, who excelled last season for the UNLV Rebels. This addition will likely pay off in 2026.

ASU head baseball coach Willie Bloomquist talks about the upcoming season during media availability at Phoenix Municipal Stadium on Jan. 28, 2025. | Michael Chow/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What's Next for ASU

The Sun Devils are set to host UConn at Phoenix Municipal on Tuesday night in a one-game set.

Read more on the bold strategy that head coach Bobby Hurley employed with comments on 1/21 here, and on why Arizona State may have saved the season with the win over Cincinnati on Saturday here..

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