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#8/12 Softball Hosts #8/10 Oregon on Senior Weekend

by thesundevils.com
Apr 29, 2021

TEMPE, Ariz. -- For the No. 8/12 Sun Devil Softball team (29-11, 9-6) there's just no place like home. Arizona State resumes what has turned into a 13-game home stand this weekend as hosts to No. 8 Oregon (30-10, 8-8). The four-game series starts on Friday, April 30 at 5 p.m. MST, continues with a marathon doubleheader on Saturday and single-game on Sunday. Fans can watch the series in its entirety on the Pac-12 Network. 

ASU will honor the non-returners: Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth, Cielo Meza, Alli Tatnall, and Olivia Miller, on Sunday afternoon's Senior Day.  

Club Farrington was the hot spot in Tempe through the entire month of April. The team hasn't played an away game since April 3 at Utah and since returning to the Club, it's been all series wins, series sweeps, rivalry dubs, and lots and lots of home runs.

Arizona State boasts four-straight series wins over then-No. 6 Washington, Utah, Stanford, and then-No. 8 Arizona. The series sweep over UArizona is the first conference sweep over the Wildcats since 2012 and the first series win over UA in the Trisha Ford era. 

In facing the No. 8 Ducks this weekend ASU looks to extend its record against ranked teams. The Sun Devils have faced five ranked teams this season - four in the top 10 - and notch a 6-8 record against them. 
 

Maddi Hackbarth extended her Pac-12 Conference home run lead as she went yard for the 18th time this season against Arizona. Her 51 RBI also leads the conference. 

Seven Sun Devil players are batting over .300 including Maddi (.394), Makenna Harper (.372), Kindra Hackbarth (.370), Jazmine Hill (.360), Alli Tatnall (.343), Yannira Acuna (.319), and Denae Chatman (.304). 

Left-hander Lindsay Lopez and rightie Allison Royalty grew into quite the one-two punch in the last month. Lopez earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Week following the Arizona series where she collected three wins, pitched 11.2 innings, one earned run, and ten strikeouts. 

SUN DEVIL REWIND
Two weeks ago, ASU reclaimed State 48 after sweeping in-state rival, then-No. 8 Arizona, in conference play at Farrington Stadium. The action started on Friday night as ASU snapped UA's 12-game winning streak with a 4-3 team-effort win at Club Farrington. Lindsay Lopez went toe-to-toe with UA's batters, escaping a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the seventh inning to notch ASU's first win over UA since 2018.
 

Home Run U went to work in a Saturday night big bat showcase as ASU clinched the series over UA. Alynah Torres led the slugfest with two home runs in ASU's 8-1 win. The series win is the first for ASU over UA since 2015 and the first in the Trisha Ford Era. 

Fifth-year Maddi Hackbarth ignited the offense in the first inning, going yard for two RBIs in her 18th home run of the season. Maddi's hitting partner, Torres, matched the energy, hitting dingers in the third and fifth. She finished the game with four RBIs and her season long ball log reached double digits with 11 in 38 game starts.

In the circle, Allison Royalty and Lindsay Lopez executed their dynamic duo finesse. The underclassmen held Arizona to one run - the fewest the Wildcats have scored in 16 games since facing then-No. 6 Washington on March 19. The pair each threw three strikeouts while Lopez failed to issue a single walk through 3.1 innings pitched. The sophomore boasts the fewest walks on the ASU pitching staff with only 20 in 24 appearances. 

On Sunday, took care of some Sunday cleaning at Farrington Stadium, completing the conference sweep of UA with a 4-3 walk-off win in the series finale behind Denae Chatman's two-homer effort and Maddi Hackbarth's game-winning hit.
 

STRAIGHT FACTS

  • Royalty is closing in on the 100 Club. The true freshman boasts 98 career strikeouts, and leads the pitching staff this season.
  • ASU swept Arizona in conference play last weekend - the first time in the Trisha Ford era and since 2012. 
  • The team's .341 batting average is 17th in the nation and fourth in the Pac-12
  • Maddi Hackbarth leads the Pac-12 in home runs and RBIs with 18 and 51, respectively
  • Jazmine Hill and Maddi Hackbarth lead the squad in multiple RBI games. Hackbarth notched 14 games with multiple followed by Hill with 11 games
  • ASU's 79 home runs on the season is first in the Pac-12 and third in the nation behind Arkansas (87) and Oklahoma (111)
  • ASU is the top-15 nationally in home runs per game (second), on base percentage (11th), scoring (12th), slugging percentage (second)
  • ASU hit four home runs in a game in the 8-1 win over Arizona on April 17, 2021
  • The Sun Devils dominate at Club Farrington - boasting a 22-6 record at home this season
  • On Sunday afternoon, the Arizona State team will honor four fifth years and junior Olivia Miller who are graduating/not returning after this season. 
  • Miller is graduating early and plans to take a gap year before applying to law school. 
  • Fifth years Kindra and Maddi Hackbarth, Cielo Meza, and Alli Tatnall will also be honored. Maddi, Cielo and Alli all graduated in Sprin 2020. Kindra earned her degree in Dec. 2020. 

 

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