April 18, 2007

Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. - With a record smashing attendance of 2,157 on hand the No. 7 Sun Devil Softball team didn't disappoint as they rallied off a 6-3 win over in-state rival, the No. 3 Arizona Wildcats Wednesday night in Tempe. The Sun Devils out hit the `Cats twelve to two with Katie Burkhart striking out 13 and Mindy Cowles going deep for a two run shot. The Sun Devils are now 40-10 overall and 6-3 in conference play while Arizona drops to 31-9 and 7-2 in the Pac-10.

The Sun Devils came out ready to play as they breezed through the first inning with Katie Burkhart striking out the side before the offense exploded in the bottom of the inning as Kaitlin Cochran singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch followed with Ashley Muenz hitting an RBI single up the middle as well to plate Cochran. Mindy Cowles dug in next and took and 0-2 pitch deep to right as bring around two more pushing ASU up 3-0.

The `Cats rallied back in the top of the second though, as a lead-off walk to Jenae Leles followed with a single to center from Sam Bannister were brought home to even the score as K'Lee Arredondo took a 1-2 pitch that just barely stayed fair deep to right field for only her second home run of the season.

After that it was all ASU and Katie Burkhart, who remained nearly flawless the rest of the game as her line tallied only two hits, 13 strikeouts and only one walk. The Sun Devils attacked the scoreboard again in the four as they broke the tie with Jessica Mapes hitting a single to short before Kaitlin Cochran walked to bring up Pac-10 RBI leader Bianca Cruz. Cruz came through as usual with an RBI single through the left side on a 1-0 pitch. They added another run as well with an RBI single from Mindy Cowles.

Another RBI single from Kaitlin Cochran in the fifth put the game away for the Sun Devils as she nailed one through the left side to plate Michelle Smith and put the score at its final resting place of 6-3.

The Sun Devils will return to the diamond again this weekend as they take on the Oregon schools. They face the 14^th-ranked Oregon Ducks on Friday, April 20 at 7 p.m. and the 13^th-ranked Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, April 21 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 22 at 1 p.m. at Farrington Stadium in Tempe. Sunday's game versus the Beavers will be televised nationally on ESPN2.