Arizona State powered past Cincinnati 10-2 in the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals in Surprise, and the win sent the No. 3 Sun Devils into the semifinals against No. 2 West Virginia. The game also featured a major individual milestone for Landon Hairston, who broke Arizona State’s single-season home run record with his 28th blast.
Hairston’s record-breaking swing came in the bottom of the fourth inning, when he launched a 349-foot home run that stretched ASU’s lead to 7-1. The sophomore from Queen Creek Casteel had been chasing the mark for weeks, and his homer moved him past the previous record of 27 set by Mitch Jones in 2000.
“It feels amazing to be a part of something in such a storied program,” Hairston said. “It means the world to me.”
Arizona State’s offense kept rolling early
ASU set the tone right away by erasing an early deficit with a two-run homer from junior Dominic Smaldino in the bottom of the first. That swing put the Sun Devils ahead 2-1 and gave the lineup an edge it would not give back.
Hairston added another run in the second inning on an infield error, and the pressure kept building on Cincinnati as defensive mistakes opened the door for more damage. Garrett Michel later drove in Dean Toigo on an infield groundout, and Matt Polk followed with a single through the middle to bring home Smaldino and make it 5-1 in the third.
Hairston, Polk and Toigo add to the surge
The offense never cooled after Hairston’s record-setting homer. Polk added a solo shot in the seventh inning, and Toigo capped the scoring with a two-run double in the eighth as Arizona State finished with 10 runs on 12 hits.
Hairston went 2-for-5 with two RBIs, while Smaldino continued his strong stretch with another key early swing. ASU scored in six different innings and used a mix of power, baserunning and Cincinnati miscues to keep control throughout the game.
Pitching support helps close the door
Starting pitcher Kole Klecker worked a one-two-three inning before Hairston’s home run changed the game’s tone even further. Sophomore Taylor Penn then delivered three scoreless innings in relief, striking out five without issuing a walk to earn the win.
Penn has moved between starting, relieving and closing this season, and his latest outing gave Arizona State a steady bridge to the finish. The Sun Devils’ run support let the pitching staff attack the zone while the defense behind them stayed engaged.
Bloomquist praises the depth of the lineup
ASU coach Willie Bloomquist said the performance reflected what the team is capable of when the bats stay aggressive and the defense creates chances. He also praised Smaldino’s run production and pointed to the importance of playing clean, forceful baseball in tournament settings.
“That’s what we’re capable of,” Bloomquist said. “Obviously, there were some defensive miscues we took advantage of.”
Arizona State now turns to West Virginia for a semifinal matchup at Surprise Stadium, with the winner moving on to the Big 12 tournament championship. The Mountaineers took two of three from the Sun Devils when the teams met in Phoenix in late March, setting up another high-level meeting between two teams Bloomquist described as “two heavyweights.”
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