(Photo: Alex Roddier/WCSN)
No. 18 Arizona State continued their impressive offensive dominance on Friday night under the lights of Farrington Stadium, defeating the Utah Utes 13-0 to kick off their second weekend of Pac-12 play.
The Sun Devils’ onslaught started early, as two of ASU’s first three hitters got on base via a walk and senior left fielder Skylar McCarty added a single. Junior shortstop Jade Gortarez brought all three baserunners home on a line drive double to right center field. A sac fly brought Gortarez home to put ASU up 4-0.
ASU added on another four runs in the second with hits from sophomore first baseman DeNae Chatman and freshman designated player Yannira Acuña. Sophomore second baseman Bella Loomis walked with the bases loaded to bring in the final run of the inning and put ASU up 8-0.
Arizona State repeated this feat once more in the third with a three-run moonshot over the left field wall from junior catcher Maddi Hackbarth and four consecutive walks dealt by Utah’s redshirt sophomore pitcher Claire Feldman put ASU up 12-0.
The Sun Devils weren’t done scoring, and neither was Hackbarth. The junior catcher sent another home run deep into the Tempe night, this time over the right field wall. Hackbarth finished the day with two home runs and four RBIs.
After the game, the humble Hackbarth credited her coaches for her performance and sang their praises rather than boast about her own, “Our coaches do a great job of making sure we are prepared all week and showing us the certain types of pitches we are going to be facing,” Hackbarth said. “I think I was very prepared for (the drop ball the coaches drilled the players on) in both at-bats…I just saw it and went for it.”
While ASU has scored 43 runs in their last three games at Farrington, and the Lady Devils lead the nation in both scoring and slugging percentage, it wasn’t the only aspect of the game dominated by the Devils on Friday night.
Junior right-hander Samantha Mejia had a stellar performance in the circle, arguably her best performance in maroon and gold after transferring over to Tempe from Fresno State this offseason.
Mejia grabbed her 12th win of the season and seemed to be a step ahead of nearly every Utah hitter she faced. Aside from a two-out single in the first, Mejia was perfect. She retired four Utes on strikes, and alongside her defense, Mejia and Co. went three-up-three-down in every inning beyond the first.
“I told Sam that I thought that was the best game she has thrown all year,” head coach Trisha Ford said of Mejia’s outing. “She was very efficient, she was hitting her spots well and changed speeds when she needed to. She showed great composure on the mound. I think she kept her pace and our defense played well behind her.”
Hackbarth, not only a home-run hitter but the catcher and field general of the Sun Devils also sang Mejia’s praises.
“Phenomenal game for Sam, I think it was her one of her best games so far,” Hackbarth said. “Everything was working, I think that her changeup was very important in getting (Utah hitters) off and chasing. Her screwball was her main pitch tonight, getting it in there and getting them jammed.”
For the Sun Devils, the 18th ranked team in the country, motivation to win is easy to come by. To say that their methods of motivation have worked well for ASU would be an understatement, as the team currently leads the nation in scoring and slugging percentage. However, for ASU on Friday, rather than be motivated by each other’s performances on the diamond, the motivation came from the team’s newest member in the dugout.
Alexis, a young girl diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, was brought into the sisterhood of ASU Softball on Wednesday as an honorary member of the team through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation, a foundation that pairs children battling brain tumors and various forms cancer with sports teams & clubs. On Friday night, her first game with her new teammates, Alexis celebrated her birthday, and along with the honor of throwing out the first pitch, the Sun Devils gave Alexis quite the present.
“Tonight was definitely fun, having Alexis as a part of our team now is very important to her and us to show us that (softball) is just a game and there are bigger things in life,” Hackbarth said about her new honorary teammate. “It was amazing to have her out here with us and having a good time.”
While Alexis has befriended many of the girls on the team, according to Trisha Ford, Mejia and freshman righty Abby Andersen “took Alexis under their wing right away.”
Alexis selected Mejia to throw out the first pitch with her, “It was heartwarming for her to say that she wanted me to go out (and throw the first pitch) with me,” Mejia said. “With her being here, it opened up all of our eyes and made us realize we should be grateful to be out here playing.”
The Sun Devils, once again with their new friend and teammate Alexis, will take the field at Farrington Stadium on Saturday for the second game against the Utes.
