(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
The home plate photoshoot between Maddi Hackbarth and Alynah Torres is becoming a frequent sighting at Farrington Stadium this season. The duo broke out their signature celebration twice more Monday night as Hackbarth, a fifth-year senior, belted her fifth and sixth homers of the three week old 2021 campaign as ASU cruised to an 8-2 victory over Utah.
“It’s fun,” Hackbarth said. “We talked about possibly switching it up If I hit another one, but it comes from something Kiara Kennedy and I used to do.”
In the bottom of the first, Hackbarth dug in with two outs and the bases empty. She laced an opposite field shot to right field that left the yard in the blink of an eye, giving ASU (11-1) the early 1-0 lead. As has become the norm for the Sun Devils this season, the long ball came from more than one place in the lineup. Fellow fifth-year senior Alli Tatnall launched a solo shot of her own to lead off the second, sending the ASU dugout into a frenzy as the ball soared past Farrington’s tallest palm tree in right field. It was her fourth home run of the season.
“It’s crazy the offensive numbers we’ve been able to put up against this quality pitching,” head Coach Trisha Ford said. “I joke with Coach Harger sometimes when he says we aren’t supposed to get a hit everytime. I tell him sure we are.”
In the home half of the second inning, that potent offense roared again when a two out rally broke the game open for ASU. After Tatnall homered, redshirt junior Brittney Holland singled and senior Bella Loomis walked with two outs and nobody on. Fifth-year Kindra Hackbarth wasted no time, singing to center and driving in Holland with ease. The Sun Devil bats were not yet satisfied, as Jazmine Hill immediately roped a two RBI triple down the left field line, setting the stage for Hackbarth’s second blast in as many innings. This one, a high arching majestic shot, put the Sun Devils up 7-0.
“I liked the first one better because it went a little bit further, but both were great,” Hackbarth said with a grin. “In the three years I’ve been here I’ve gotten better at dialing in. I’m definitely seeing the ball well right now, trying to keep things simple.”
Starting pitcher Cielo Meza worked four nearly perfect innings for ASU, with the lone blemish being a solo blast from Utah’s Halle Morris in the 3rd. Sophomore Lindsay Lopez took over for Meza in the fifth and cruised the rest of the way, allowing one run in her three innings of work.
“I thought both pitchers did a great job tonight,” Ford said. “They’ve both been working so hard and it was great to see them perform.”
Lopez discussed her early season success, and how her mindset has allowed her to pitch the way she knows she can.
“I’m really confident this year, I’ve worked a lot on my mental game and it has really helped me take a breath and go out there and pitch my best stuff,” Lopez said. “The run support also really helps.”
The win capped another successful weekend for ASU, whose red hot start to the season will hit the road for the first time in El Paso this Friday as they take on Montana at 11 a.m. local time.
“We’re excited to get on the road,” Ford said. “I don’t like to leave Club Farrington very often, but I think it will be great for us to play in a different environment before Pac-12 play. They’re excited to travel and just excited to play ball. Given everything that has happened last year, they’re just so happy to be playing softball.”
