(Photo via Marina Williams/WCSN)
Arizona State softball found itself on the losing end of a defensive showdown in the SunDevils’ road series opener against No. 2 Stanford.
The Sun Devils’ (18-16, 2-8 Pac-12 Conference) senior right-handed pitcher Deborah Jones pitched a complete game and gave her team a fighting chance at victory. After a slow start including a walk on the first at-bat that led up to a two-run home run, Jones managed a solid performance during the remainder of her time in the circle.
However, the Cardinal (28-6, 8-1 Pac-12) made sure to capitalize off the starter’s mistakes. The bottom of the fourth inning saw Stanford draw another lead-off walk before a sacrifice bunt and a groundball slicing through the center infield allowed the Cardinal to extend their lead to 3-0.
The process of bad luck repeated itself in the very next half-inning. Although a hit-by-pitch and a walk put runners on the corners, ASU only needed one out to escape with no damage. Graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall saw a flyball head her direction, and despite her best attempt to make a diving catch, it fell to the side of her to bring another Cardinal runner home.
Even with the defense playing valiantly, the Sun Devils’ inability to generate momentum in the batters’ box prevented the team from ever responding. Arizona State’s offense struck out ten times, drew zero walks, and only managed two hits on the night.
The closest ASU got to a rally was in the top of the fifth inning. Senior catcher Sara Kinch led off with a hit-by-pitch and graduate utility Audrey LeClair laid down a sacrifice bunt to put a runner on second base. Pinch-runner and sophomore infielder Ayden Allen attempted to steal third base, but a perfectly timed throw and tag from home plate to third took away the Sun Devils only chance to avoid the shoutout.
While dropping a series opener is never encouraging, Arizona State still showed flashes of ability to compete with one of the best teams in the nation. The Sun Devils will look to focus on the defense’s steady improvement and the need to ramp up the offense as they regroup for game two on Saturday.
