Nu’u Contrades set the tone early with a first-inning solo home run and Arizona State’s lineup continued to supply runs throughout the afternoon, producing an 11-8 victory over Nebraska that kept the Sun Devils alive in the Lincoln Regional. The win erased the immediate threat of elimination for ASU and set up a quick turnaround: a Sunday night rematch with Ole Miss, the team that beat the Sun Devils in a marathon 14-inning opener. Colby Guy’s work on the mound — six innings of one-run ball with seven strikeouts — provided the steadying presence ASU needed while the offense did the bulk of the damage.
ASU players and coach in the dugout during the Sun Devils' win over Nebraska, a game highlighted by Colby Guy's dominant pitching.
The scoring began right away for Arizona State. Contrades’ solo shot in the first inning gave the Sun Devils an early lead, and though Nebraska answered in the third when Joshua Overbeek homered, ASU immediately counterpunched with a four-run bottom of the third. That rally was capped by a two-run blast from Dominic Longo that pushed the visitors ahead and supplied a cushion that would prove crucial as the game progressed.
A rain-covered field and tarp at Nebraska's home ballpark — the weather-threatened setting where ASU's offense eventually secured the victory as the Sun Devils move on to a rematch with Ole Miss.
Arizona State continued to build its lead in the middle innings. Dominic Smaldino, one of the offensive standouts, launched a solo home run in the fifth inning and then returned in the sixth to clear the bases with a grand slam that extended ASU’s advantage to 11-1. The long ball from Smaldino was part of a broader hitting effort: Longo, Austen Roellig and PJ Moutzouridis all recorded multi-hit games, helping the Sun Devils put consistent pressure on Nebraska’s pitching staff across multiple innings.
On the mound, Guy delivered what the Sun Devils needed. His line — six innings, seven strikeouts, one run allowed — kept Nebraska from mounting an early rally while ASU’s offense found traction. Guy’s outing limited opportunities for the Cornhuskers to string together momentum and gave the Sun Devils a lead to protect as the contest moved into the later innings.
Nebraska, however, staged a spirited comeback attempt. The Cornhuskers, who lost only one regular-season home game all year, chipped away at the deficit beginning with a five-run surge in the seventh inning and added two more runs in the ninth. That late push trimmed the margin to 11-8 and turned the closing innings into a tense finish, but the Cornhuskers could not complete what would have been a 10-run comeback.
The game also featured a significant lineup change for Arizona State. Landon Hairston, who has been one of ASU’s key offensive contributors this season, was held hitless and was ejected in the fourth inning after tossing his bat into the air in apparent frustration following a called third strike. Umpires conferred with ASU manager Willie Bloomquist before ejecting Hairston, and the ejection means Hairston will be unavailable for Sunday night’s elimination game against Ole Miss.
With the win, Arizona State moves into a quick turnaround; the Sun Devils are scheduled to face Ole Miss at 5 p.m. in a rematch of the regional opener, a game the Rebels won 7-6 in 14 innings. Because Ole Miss claimed the first meeting in the bracket, ASU would now need two consecutive victories over the Rebels to advance out of the Lincoln Regional.
Statistically, Arizona State received contributions up and down its lineup. In addition to Contrades’ early homer and Smaldino’s two long balls — including the grand slam — Longo, Roellig and Moutzouridis each recorded multiple hits. Those performances, combined with Guy’s start, were the central factors in ASU’s victory and the Sun Devils’ survival in the double-elimination portion of the regional. Nebraska’s late-scoring innings tightened the final scoreboard, but they fell short of completing the comeback, leaving the Cornhuskers to regroup after a tough loss at home and ASU to prepare for a decisive rematch with Ole Miss.