Home run, pair of doubles by Jacob Tobias fuel ASU baseball by UC Irvine in regional opener

First baseman Jacob Tobias fueled the ASU baseball offense in a 4-2 win over second-seeded UC Irvine in the Los Angeles Regional on Friday, scoring twice in a 3-for-4 day at the plate.

Tobias smashed the first pitch he saw for a 393-foot home run in the second inning, and outfielder Isaiah Jackson was quick to provide an encore with a shot of his own.

FIRST PITCH SWINGING 💣 BY @jtobias3244

Hot start by the senior in postseason play 🫡

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/MNgMj3rbrq

— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 31, 2025

The third-seeded Sun Devils entered the game ranking second among Big 12 teams in batting average (.318, with first-place UCF at .319) and third in home runs (84). Jackson’s 17th homer coming Friday helped him maintain the team lead.

Tobias was back to logging lead-off hits in the fourth inning, when his double preceded another by right fielder Kien Vu, which scored the first baseman. Tobias, who hit another double later, and Jackson combined for five of the Sun Devils’ eight hits on the day.

Starting ASU pitcher Ben Jacobs, whose 114 strikeouts on the year placed him ninth nationally and atop the Big 12, struck out six of the 24 batters he faced. He allowed two earned runs in his five innings, the second of which scored thanks to a throwing error by second baseman Kyle Walker.

Jacobs labored through the second, as a stretch including two walks, two singles and a double followed the first two batters going down in order.

Other than two walks over the following three innings, Jacobs was solid the rest of his outing, accounting for a fielding error that put a runner on in the fifth.

Reliever Jonah Giblin sat down the next six he faced, including three strikeouts, before the eighth got hairy when he hit the first batter with a pitch, allowed a single to get by and walked another batter.

Some defensive heroics got ASU out of the jam when second baseman Kyle Walker connected with shortstop Matt King and, in turn, Tobias for the snappy double play to end the inning.

OH MY GOODNESS SUN DEVILS.

Bases loaded and one out and Carlon comes in and issues the double play ball to escape it.

Devils hang on to a 4-2 lead through 8!

📺ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/i81VYxei1l

— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 31, 2025

Cole Carlon earned the save with two strikeouts across 1.2 innings pitched.

ASU baseball’s next game

ASU, playing in its first NCAA Baseball Tournament since 2021, will move on to face national No. 15 UCLA on Saturday in the winner’s bracket in Los Angeles at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.

The Sun Devils and Bruins split a two-game set at Jackie Robinson Stadium in late February, with ASU losing the first, 8-4, and winning the second, 2-0.

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