(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
This Sunday was a beautiful day in Tempe with a high temperature of 77 degrees and winds up to seven mph. Despite a not-so-windy day, No. 24 Arizona State Softball was swept away by No. 2 Texas Tech.
The Sun Devils fell 1-7 against the Red Raiders as they finished up their last game of the series, losing the previous two games as well by a combined eight runs.
ASU posted just four shots to Texas Tech’s 10, hitting persisted to cause problems for the maroon and gold, which was shut out on Friday after registering just two hits.
“Take the good, carry what you can with you into the next weekend,” ASU head coach Megan Bartlett said. “Take care of business.”
The Sun Devils have time to put in the work and head into the tournament on the right foot. Although defeated today, Sun Devil Softball continues to be a strong team.
With a .686 PCT and 35-16 overall record, the Sun Devils are definitely a team to keep an eye on.
A key player on ASU’s roster is senior pitcher Aissa Silva. Silva pitched for almost the entire game, with six innings today.
In the series against Tech, she had an overall IP of 7. Silva is a dominant player, and head coach Bartlett agrees,
“I thought she was using both sides to play well, and the off-speed was working today. You get through six innings against Tech, and it was a 5-1 ball game at that point, I mean, the reality is we were gonna have to get through that.”
The Sun Devils fell behind from the start, with their only points on the board arriving in the second inning from sophomore outfielder Ashleigh Mejia.
Mejia was seen working tirelessly on the diamond today. Before scoring in the bottom of the second, Mejia actually got a walk after Texas Tech senior pitcher NiJaree Canady couldn’t strike her out.
Redshirt senior Yazzy Avila was at bat with a hit right down the middle. The ball swiped right past a Tech glove, giving ASU’s Mejia the momentum and advantage to score.
Bartlett said, “When we get the momentum, we have got to find a way to keep it, roll it into the next game and make our own opportunities.”
Overall, the Sun Devils battled hard, even with just a few runs and hits on the board in each inning. The Red Raiders had numerous hits that the Devils just couldn’t break.
Texas Tech continued to capitalize on opportunities, especially at the top of the 6th with #1 Mia Williams hitting an absolute dinger all the way over the wall, which allowed a Red Raiders homerun and a lead of 5-1.
“I think Texas Tech is really good. There are a lot of All-Americans, and first in all region hitters they compile in a long lineup,” claimed ASU head coach Bartlett.
Despite the final score, the Sun Devils showed flashes of resilience throughout the game, especially when they were able to pick up some runs against a much higher-ranked team.
With just three regular-season games left before the Big-12 Tournament, every inning, run, and hit matter most.
“Take our chances at the conference tournament.” “We’re going to make it hard on ‘em, that’s for sure,” said head coach Bartlett.
This Thursday, the Sun Devils head into the BYU series, and with a win, their conference record could improve, giving them a more favorable matchup path for the Big-12 tournament.
A win next weekend would definitely give ASU a confidence boost after its three-game loss to the Red Raiders.
The Devils definitely have some elite players on their roster, the majority in their final years on the team.
To name a few star players, ASU has: junior infielder Katie Chester, redshirt senior UTL Yazzy Avila, redshirt senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich, and senior outfielder Tanya Windle.
These names are looking good heading into Thursday’s series against BYU as the Sun Devil Softball season wraps up.
After today, even in defeat, the Sun Devils persevered and stayed consistent on the dirt.
