#21 Softball Falls Short in Final Game of Kajikawa Classic

TEMPE, Ariz.- On the final afternoon of the 2022 Kajikawa Classic, Arizona State (3-2) dropped its final game of the weekend to Missouri State (1-4) in the second matchup with the Bears this weekend on Sunday afternoon.

The game had to conclude at 3:30 p.m. MST after five innings had been played due to the previous games running long along with time constraints for Missouri State. The game still counts on record for the Sun Devils because five innings had been played.

HOW WE GOT THERE:
Redshirt sophomore Marissa Schuld earned her second start of the season, where she pitched 4.1 innings with eight strikeouts, doubling her previous career-high. Freshman Mac Morgan came in at the top of the fifth inning to relieve Schuld. Morgan struck out two of the batters she faced.
 
The first inning was scoreless between the two teams as Schuld threw three strikeouts in a row for the Sun Devils. In the following inning, a double to left field with the bases loaded for Missouri State brought in one run, but the next runner was thrown out at home to give the Bears a 1-0 lead. Then, a wild pitch in the top of the third inning with a runner on third made it 2-0 in favor of MSU.
 
In the top frame of the fourth, Schuld struck out the three batters to allow the Sun Devil offense to come back on the field. However, the Sun Devils were unable to muster any hits and they remained scoreless.
 
On an error, the Bears brought home two runners in the top of the fifth inning to bring its two final runs of the game to lead 4-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Mailey McLemore and Jordyn Vanhook made plate appearances in the Sun Devils' half of the fifth inning as pinch hitters in a last effort to rally the bats of ASU. The Bears took care of things in the circle in an abbreviated game to win 4-0.
 

UP NEXT: ASU will begin play in the Littlewood Classic on Thursday, Feb. 17 at Farrington as it takes on Minnesota at 6:00 p.m. The game can be viewed on the ASU Live Stream.