TEMPE, Ariz. – The 17
th- ranked Arizona State softball team claimed their first Pac-12 series victory with a 12-4 run-rule victory over Oregon State Sunday afternoon at Farrington Softball Stadium.
"It was a great job for us to come back today after Friday," head coach
Trisha Ford said of facing OSU's Mazon for a second time this weekend. "We didn't hit her well last year, so it has been a while. She is a great pitcher. I think I was most proud of how we responded after Friday's game."
Down early, the Arizona State softball squad rallied in the second inning to score nine runs, and put the Beavers away for their first Pac-12 series victory.
The Sun Devils offensive success stemmed from strategic base running with five stolen bases, the most stolen bases this season. Sunday marked the fourth game that the team has had three or more stolen bases in a single game during the 2019 season.
Following ASU's comfortable win Saturday night, Oregon State came out ready to play Sunday afternoon, scoring two runs on three hits in the top of the first off freshman right-hander
Abby Andersen.
Down 2-0 in the bottom of the second, junior catcher
Maddi Hackbarth ignited the Sun Devil offense with her 11th- home run of the season, a blast that cut the Beaver lead to just one-run. Seven more hits would follow, including a triple from
DeNae Chatman and a double from
Morgan Howe and
Kiara Kennedy, putting the Sun Devils out front, 9-2.
Skylar McCarty,
Bella Loomis, Chatman and Howe had nine of the 12 RBI for the Sun Devils in an inning that saw ASU pile on nine-total runs on eight hits.
"We are capable of putting up a crooked number at any time," Ford said of the potent Sun Devil offense. "I really feel that no lead is safe with our offense. This is something that has really been key for us winning games. From a defensive standpoint, too have to keep facing our lineup is tough. I really can't say enough about coach (Jeff) Harger and what he has done. A lot of this credit, especially on offense, needs to go to him and his work with our team."
Following a scoreless third, the Beavers attempted to make a final push in the fourth inning with a double to centerfield allowing two runs to reach home, pulling the score to 10-4. Following the two runs, Ford handed the game over to Mejia, who worked through the final five outs allowing just two hits and a walk.
"It was a learning experience, like everything else has been for me this season," Andersen said of navigating her way through her first Pac-12 series. "My plan today was to go in more relaxed and approach things in a much more experienced way. To hand the game off to Samantha was cool. The bond that we have is incredibly strong. There was no doubt in my mind that she was going to help me out. I trusted her and we have a really good understanding of how we can work with each other."
In the bottom frame, the Sun Devils continued their offensive barrage, with Kennedy lacing a one-out double to centerfield and then stealing third. M. Hackbarth kept things moving with a walk, prompting Ford to call on Oliva Miller as a pinch runner. In the very next at-bat, Miller would steal second, leaving
DeNae Chatman at the plate with a pair of runners in scoring position with just one out. The power hitting infielder would take advantage, lifting a high fly ball into right, scoring Kennedy and stretching the ASU lead to 10-4. Yanni Acuna then stepped to the box and roped a double to left field bringing Miller home for the 11-4 lead.
With ASU just one run away from the rune-rule, Mejia worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth inning, bringing the Sun Devil offense to the plate with an opportunity to end the game.
K. Hackbarth did her part in taking an inside pitch to put the winning run on base for McCarty. The opportunistic outfielder would come through with a single into right that was just deep enough to score the Hackbarth and seal the ASU victory.
"I thought we did a good job of sticking to the plan," McCarty said of her game winning at-bat. "We had practiced all week, looking at what we might see and I knew today that if I was able to move Kindra over, we had a great lineup behind us to get things done. I knew in that last at-bat that someone was going to get it done in that last inning."
Arizona State is will continue Pac-12 play next weekend with a three-game homestand against Utah, March 22-24. All three games are scheduled to be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network, with action in game one set to begin Friday at 7:00 p.m. PT. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2019 season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
