ASU Baseball: Sun Devils tie series with No. 21 Oregon State after Jackson’s walk-off grand slam

Arizona State (26-12, 12-4 Pac-12) never held a lead Saturday against No. 21 Oregon State (26-12, 11-9 Pac-12) before freshman Isaiah Jackson, who had previously homered on the night, stepped-up to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the ninth inning.

With a 2-1 count, and the score tied at 7-7, Jackson only needed one run. Instead, he turned on a pitch and sent a long homer over the right-field fence to win Saturday’s game 11-7.

Before Saturday, Oregon State’s bullpen had allowed just four runs on the season. Jackson matched that total in one swing.

The Sun Devils twice fell down by four runs Saturday, but Jackson’s walk off, and a four-run seventh inning, provided sparks to ignite a comeback.

Junior Khristian Curtis started for ASU on the mound, and he allowed four unearned runs in the fourth inning that stained his final line. Curtis finished with 4.1 innings of work, 6 runs-allowed (2 earned), 5 hits, 5 walks and 5 strikeouts.

Along with Jackson’s two home runs, sophomore Jacob Tobias added another long ball when he plated ASU’s first run of the night in the second inning. Tobias also contributed an RBI-double.

Freshman Luke Hill cut a 7-3 OSU lead in half with a two-RBI single in the seventh to score Jackson and fellow-freshman Nu’u Contrades. With the score at 7-5, junior Luke Keachall knotted the score at 7-7 with a two-RBI double. Keaschall was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

Closer Owen Stevenson recorded the win on the mound. Stevenson and righty Blake Pivaroff combined for 2.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Senior catcher Bronson Balholm went 2-for-3. Balholm has handled catching duties while sophomore Ryan Campos is sidelined with an oblique injury.

The rubber-match will take place Sunday at Phoenix Municipal Stadium with a 12:30 local first pitch.