Gutsy performance nets series opening win for Arizona State

Prior to this weekend, Arizona State had yet to play Kansas State as a member of the Big 12 conference. The stakes were high with both teams surging out to strong starts, eager to grab the upper hand in the early goings of the 2026 season.

Cole Carlon got the ball after a solid performance last week against TCU, but it was Kansas State who took to the scoreboard first on a 3rd inning solo home run by Cadyn Karl that just barely snuck over the wall in right field. The Sun Devils weren’t held down for long however, as small ball got them on the board. An RBI groundout by Dominic Smaldino followed by an RBI single by Brody Briggs gave the Devils the lead in the top of the 4th. A solo home run by PJ Moutzouridis, his second of the season, stretched the lead an inning later.

Carlon threw a solid first 5 innings but it was Kansas State’s turn to claw back in the 6th inning, tying the game on Dee Kennedy’s 10th home run of the season. Taylor Penn came on in relief and Kansas State threatened to take the lead, but Penn stranded the bases loaded. Sean Fitzpatrick came on for the 7th, but Dee Kennedy had his impact on the game again, scoring on an RBI single by Carlos Vasquez to give the Wildcats the 4-3 lead.

The pendulum would swing back in Arizona State’s favor in the 8th inning, tying the game on a double play with runners on the corners by Dominic Longo, then who else but Landon Hairston? His 9th home run of the season, a no doubter 401 feet to right field, put the Devils back on top with a 5-4 lead.

The combined efforts of Finn Edwards and Derek Schaefer held Kansas State off the scoreboard for the last two innings, preserving the tough 5-4 win in the opening game of this weekend’s series.

Brody Briggs led the way at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, reaching base in all 5 plate appearances with two walks to his credit. Dominic Smaldino recorded a multi-hit effort in a game that saw the Sun Devils leave 12 runners on base while going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. 13 strikeouts by Sun Devil pitching kept the high-powered Kansas State offense in check, but a season-high 5 walks by Carlon led to his early exit in the 6th inning after 96 pitches.

The Sun Devils and Wildcats will be back in action tomorrow afternoon for Game 2 of the series at 2pm Arizona time. Alex Overbay is in line to start for the Sun Devils, looking for his first win in his third start of the season.