PHOENIX — Following a disappointing weekend in which Arizona State (9-4) dropped all three of its games in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series, a sour taste lingered in the Sun Devils’ mouths.

After all, the team started 8-0, including a statement win over No. 13 Oklahoma (10-2) on the road, before losing four straight to conclude the road trip.

ASU’s sense of urgency heightened, and in its first game at home in March, the Sun Devils delivered a bounce back performance to flush any bad memories from Arlington.

A seven run seventh inning propelled the Sun Devils to a dominant 12-4 win over Loyola Marymount University (5-11) on Friday, March 6, at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. After a quiet first half of the game offensively, ASU made its mark in the later frames, putting up nine runs in the final three innings.

Junior second-baseman Nu’u Contrades stole the show, as he loaded the box score going three-for-four with a home run and three RBI.

“I’m interested in pure hitters,” head coach Willie Bloomquist said. “Guys that can adjust to different pitches and stay on breaking balls.”

Contrades raised his average on the season to .375, using a unique combination of speed, power and approach to become one of the Sun Devil’s most feared hitters on a daily basis.

The star infielder wasn’t the only one with a big day at the plate, as sophomore left-fielder Landon Hairston and junior center-fielder Dominic Longo joined him in the three hit club.

The trio combined for 9 of ASU’s 16 hits, showcasing the depth of the lineup and just how dangerous the Sun Devils can be when their bats are on.

“We have insane depth on our team,” Contrades said. “If you’re not having (the day you want), then the guy right behind him is going to pick him up, and that’s a cool thing about our team.”

Insanity is what ASU tries to bring to the base paths , and exactly what it tries to keep off of it.

The pitching staff did its job in keeping everything off the bases, as three arms combined for 18 strikeouts and only two walks.

Junior southpaw Cole Carlon got his regularly scheduled Friday night start, and while he wasn’t his sharpest, giving up three runs including a home run to Lions junior first baseman Zach Wadas in the second, Carlon battled his way through 5 ⅓ innings and a season high 101 pitches, striking out 10 in the process.

Carlon’s previous outing was cut short in Arlington due to cramps, but the junior came across confident that those were behind him.

“Body felt really good today,” Carlon said. “I definitely did some things in my routine that I added to make sure that won’t happen again.”

Junior Colin Linder entered the game in the sixth, a test for him seeing as it was his first appearance out of the bullpen this season.

Linder threw 2 ⅔ innings of lights out ball, putting up zeros in hits, walks and runs and striking out five of his own.

While most may have felt uncomfortable in a different role, Linder embraced doing whatever he could to help his guys.

“We just did what we thought would give us the best chance to win the weekend,” Linder said. “Happy to go out there and compete and try to win games with my team.”

Carlon, Linder and sophomore Finn Edwards picked up a group of pitchers that had a tough weekend, giving the staff a lot to build on as the weekend continues.

The bounce back came at a great time for the Sun Devils, as getting punched in the mouth by three SEC squads left a lot to be desired.

That being the case, Bloomquist believes there were positive takeaways, and ASU clearly put them on display in the series opener.

“I think the guys in our clubhouse felt that we were the better team in a couple of those games,” he said. “We just didn’t execute, so that part is encouraging, that we feel like we have the horses in the stable.”

The Sun Devils look to continue their undefeated season at home in game two, as junior right-handed pitcher Alex Overbay aims to carry the momentum from Friday into his first start of the season on Saturday.

“We could get three innings out of him on a weekend if we used him in the role he’s been in, but I’d rather have six if we could,” Bloomquist said. “He’s earned the right to give it a crack in the starting spot.”