Arizona State rides 13-strikeout performance from Escobedo to victory over California

(Photo:Josh Frons/WCSN)

The Arizona State softball team opened its road series against California with a 7-2 victory on Friday. The Sun Devils were led by a strong outing from senior pitcher Dallas Escobedo who tossed seven innings of three-hit ball while racking up 13 strikeouts.

The Sun Devil offense gave its pitcher plenty of run support as left fielder Elizabeth Caporuscio paced the team with two hits and four runs batted in. Caporuscio launched a grand slam in the top of the first inning and Arizona State never trailed in a relatively stress-free win over the Golden Bears.

Arizona State took a 6-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a Chelsea Gonzales single that plated Bethany Kemp and Caporuscio. The Golden Bears fought back in the bottom half of the inning with a two-run home run from shortstop Cheyenne Cordes, but that was all the scoring that California could muster against Escobedo.

The Sun Devils tacked on an insurance run in top of the seventh as catcher Amber Freeman doubled home center fielder Alix Johnson. After taking a 7-2 lead, the Sun Devils preserved the score in the bottom of the seventh as Escobedo set down the Golden Bears in order.

Escobedo’s performance comes on the heels of a dominating series against the Arizona Wildcats last weekend in which she set a career-high in a seven-inning contest with 16 strikeouts. The right-hander improved to 12-2 on the season with the victory and the Sun Devils moved to 33-6 on the year. The Golden Bears dropped to 20-12 and will look to rebound in Saturday’s game which starts at 3 p.m.

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