(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
Hockey fans refer to the legendary number 99 Wayne Gretzky as “The Great One”. That nickname may soon be bestowed upon Arizona State softball’s number 99 Breanna Macha (with apologies to ASU’s last No. 99, Mackenzie Popescue, who already had a pretty great nickname). The freshman sensation from Red Mountain High in Mesa passed her first test as a Sun Devil with flying colors in a 6-0 ASU win.
Starting the second game of the season-opening doubleheader for ASU against the Western Michigan Broncos, Macha was in control from the opening pitch. A four-time state title winning pitcher at Red Mountain, Macha was dominant in not allowing any chances at a successful inning for the Broncos. She didn’t let a runner past first base, surrendered only 1 hit and struck out 8 in 6 innings of work.
Macha credits the senior leaders on the team with boosting her confidence in the circle. “When you have seniors at third base like Haley Steele, I can hear her in my ear saying ‘Hey just get this one, just go right at this girl.’ So having that confidence of having those seniors behind me is huge.”
Macha was boosted in her ASU debut by back-to-back home runs in the second inning from first baseman Bethany Kemp and catcher Katee Aguirre, as well as RBIs from the middle-infield tandem of Chelsea Gonzales and Nikki Girard in the third inning. Gonzales and Kemp both finished the night with two RBIs, their first runs plated of the season.
Gonzales said of herself and the Sun Devils making a in the Kajikawa Classic, “We just focus on each game at a time, and I’m just excited to see how our team does and how I do, but this team is really good and we’re just ready to prove what we have.”
The hitting star of the doubleheader collectively was senior Amber Freeman. She set quite a standard for the rest of her final ASU season as she went 6-for-6 with two walks for a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage.
“I just felt like once I got into the box I was really calm, and waited for my pitch and I was able to square it up,” Freeman said.
Freeman is going into this season with a mindset of team-first, instead of putting her own personal goals at the forefront for success.
“I feel like I need to be as selfless as I can be this year,” she said. “I would trade any personal accolade for a national championship… I want to take this team to Oklahoma City, and I feel like I gotta just put them first.”
The Sun Devil offense will rely heavily on Freeman, twice name an All-American selection, but the power display from Kemp and Aguirre along the strong offensive performance from Gonzales is a great sign going forward.
Arizona State picked up two wins that they absolutely should have, and will now set their eyes on their second straight doubleheader on Friday against the San Diego Toreros and Ole Miss Rebels at Farrington Stadium.
