LOS ANGELES – In an exciting matchup at the Los Angeles Regional on Friday night, Jacob Tobias led Arizona State to a 4-2 victory over UC Irvine. Tobias showcased his power with a home run and two doubles, while Isaiah Jackson contributed with a solo homer and an RBI single. This victory sends the third-seeded Arizona State (36-22) forward to face top-seed and host team UCLA on Saturday.
UC Irvine (41-16), meanwhile, is set to compete against No. 4 seed Fresno State in an elimination game earlier in the day. The action kicked off in the second inning with Tobias hitting a solo home run and Jackson following suit with his own solo shot off Anteaters starter Trevor Hansen, establishing a 2-0 lead for the Sun Devils.
The Anteaters, however, managed to tie the game in the bottom of the second off Sun Devils starter Ben Jacobs. Alonso Reyes hit an RBI double and Frankie Carney added a run-scoring single. Despite this comeback, Arizona State reclaimed their lead in the fourth inning with consecutive doubles from Tobias and Kien Vu. Tobias would later notch another double and came home again on Jackson’s single in the eighth, giving the Sun Devils a crucial insurance run.
On the mound, Jacobs allowed just two runs on three hits, with five walks across five innings. Jonah Giblin contributed significantly with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, and Cole Carlon secured the victory with five consecutive outs for his fourth save of the season. Hansen’s outing for UC Irvine included three runs conceded on six hits and three walks through 6 1/3 innings. Ricky Ojeda also gave up a run on two hits in the remaining 2 2/3 innings.
Historically, Arizona State has secured five College World Series titles, with their most recent victory in 1981, and they’ve been the runner-up five times, latest in 1998. In contrast, UC Irvine has claimed the Division II World Series crown twice back in 1973 and 1974 and is striving for another College World Series spot at the Division I level.