(Photo via Nicole Mullen/WCSN)
Sunday started as a gratifying day for Arizona State Softball’s seniors, who were honored for their service to the program on Senior Day. However, that sweet feeling became bitter as No. 10 Stanford came from behind to spoil the ceremony and hand ASU its 11th-straight loss.
It was a closely contested game that saw ASU (21-23, 5-16) matchup well against the Cardinal, but a three-run home run in the eighth inning by another senior infielder Sydney Steele uplifted Stanford (38-10, 13-8) to a 5-2 win in eight innings. The pitching and the defense kept the Sun Devils in the game, but they couldn’t capitalize enough on offense, a problem that has plagued the team all season.
However, the insufficient offensive production wasn’t due to a lack of opportunity. The Sun Devils had runners in scoring position in the first, third and fourth innings but went 0-for-4 in those situations. The Sun Devils went 2-for-13 in total with runners in scoring position, which came back to bite them in the end.
Fortunately for the Sun Devils, Stanford’s offense was stagnant as well. Even though Sunday was about the seniors, freshman right-hander Kylee Magee made her presence felt. She gave up one hit in the first inning but didn’t give up another until the fifth. She ended the day with five strikeouts and zero earned runs. Assistant coach Jimmy Kolaitis talked about impressive Magee’s season has been given the circumstances she’s had to face.
“Being a freshman, she kind of got thrown into the fire,” Kolaitis said. “She was supposed to be behind some of the pitchers that we had the last few years, but it didn’t work out. She’s been thrown in the fire, and she’s responded well. She’s a competitor. She wants to get better, and I’m glad she’s on our side.”
The Cardinal’s offense wouldn’t stay dormant forever, though. In the fifth, back-to-back singles from graduate outfielder Emily Schultz and Steele put Stanford in scoring position. The Cardinal used a sacrifice bunt and a sacrifice fly to drive Schultz in for the first run of the day.
The Sun Devils’ seniors took it upon themselves to respond at the bottom half of the inning. A leadoff double from senior outfielder Jazmine Hill and a walk from graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña started off the rally. Senior infielder Jazmyn Rollin hit a single through the left side to drive in Hill to tie the game. Graduate outfielder Makenna Harper then gave the Sun Devils the lead with another single that brought Acuña home.
The Cardinal didn’t score in the sixth either, and it looked like the Sun Devils were on the verge of breaking their three-week winless stretch. However, Schultz struck once again, this time hitting a leadoff double to center field. The Sun Devils’ defense couldn’t contain Stanford after, as a single from freshman outfielder Kyra Chan drove in the tying run.
The two sides played on, but the Cardinal made sure that the game wouldn’t last more than one extra inning. In the eighth, Senior right-hander Marissa Schuld alternated between singles and strikeouts through the first four batters to give Stanford runners on first and second with two outs. Then, Steele hit a home run into center field that barely got over the wall, leaving the crowd in a state of shock.
When given a chance to respond this time, the Sun Devils couldn’t get a runner on base. They ended the game with a .267 batting average, going 3-for-20 with runners on base. On the other hand, Stanford hit .344 and was 6-for-18 with runners on base. Kolaitis credited ASU’s defense with giving the Sun Devils a chance in the game, but he knows that the offense needs to be better to win tight games like Sunday’s.
“The pitching gave us a chance today,” Kolaitis said. “Our defense gave us a chance today. Unfortunately, when you’re playing in the Pac-12, and you’re playing a team like Stanford who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, the first team to blink usually loses the advantage, and we blinked first.”
After starting the season off 15-3, the Sun Devils have now fallen two games below .500 on the season and sit tied at seventh in the Pac-12 Conference standings. It’s been a tough stretch for ASU, with wins becoming more rare as the season progressed. Despite this though, the Sun Devils are holding their heads high, knowing that their seniors got a warm send-off and their dedication was recognized.
“They’ve been so important in our program,” Kolaitis said. “We’ve got all sorts of kinds of different seniors. We got some that have been here for four to five years that have put everything they’ve got into this program, and we got some that made a decision for their fifth year that came out and wanted to do something special this year. … They’ve all played a great part in this program and we appreciate everything they’ve done.”
