#21 Softball Take Down Bears
TEMPE - No. 21 Sun Devil softball bounced back in the second evening of the Kajikawa Classic in today's sole game. Arizona State (2-1) found themselves down after the opening inning but activated a three-run fifth inning to take down Missouri State (0-1) Friday night.
Mac Morgan had her first collegiate start in the circle for ASU as she pitched 4.1 innings with four strikeouts. Lindsay Lopez entered as relief in the top of the fifth inning, where she pitched 2.2 innings and allowed one walk after facing 16 batters.
Missouri State struck first in the top of the first inning to take an early 1-0 lead off a Sun Devil error. Morgan faced just three batters in the top of the second inning, after earning two strikeouts in the first inning.
A walk from Jessica Puk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second put ASU on the board, and a groundout to first base from Bella Loomis brought in Makenna Harper to give the Sun Devils a 2-1 lead.
More quick work in the circle from Morgan kept the Bears scoreless through the top of the third frame. A walk by Yannira Acuña got things started for the Sun Devil offense in the bottom of the third. A double down the center left field line by Alynah Torres where she advanced to third on the throw and ended up touching home plate on an error by the Bears, also scoring Acuña, to increase the Sun Devils' lead 4-1.
The Bears had their second run of the game in the top of the fifth inning after a walk with the bases loaded brought in the run for MSU. A groundout to second base for the Bears ended the top of the fifth inning to keep ASU ahead 4-2.
A double to left center from Acuña scored Jazmyn Hill in the bottom of the fifth inning. With Torres at bat, she homered to right center to bring in Acuña to notch two runs, making it 7-2 for the Sun Devils.
A groundout to Lopez in the top of the seventh inning gave ASU its first out. The Bears knocked on another run off of a single to left center, bringing the score to 7-3. Lopez ended the game with a strikeout securing the Sun Devil with a score of 7-3.
Up Next: The Sun Devils continue competition in the Kajikawa Classic on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. versus No. 20 Duke. The game can be viewed on the Pac-12 Network. ASU will finish its opening weekend in a second matchup with the Bears at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, and the game can be viewed on the ASU Live Stream.
QUOTES:
Head coach Trisha Ford
On Jessica Puk
"She brings a lot of energy and we're very excited that she's here. She receives well, she's got a good arm, and obviously plays her butt off for us defensively. She made some stellar catches for us tonight."
On Cydney Sanders
"I'm really excited to see her on the field because she knows how to compete. She is very confident, I don't think anything really gets to Cyd and I think you're seeing that. She doesn't really look like a freshman in the batter's box and does a tremendous job. She's enjoyable to coach and she enjoys the game. As her knowledge improves, she's just gonna continue to grow and develop."
On having fans back in Farrington Stadium
"It brings a different element to the field. We love playing at Farrington and we love our fans."
Alynah Torres
On her first home run
"It was good to get it off my shoulders and get that one out of it. But I was just trying to stay simple and not do too much right now. Just trying to see the ball, hit the ball."
On tomorrow's matchup with No. 20 Duke
"I'm excited, it's going to be a good game. Duke's a good team, I think we just need to come ready to go. It's still early in the season, so I'm excited and our team's ready to go."