(Photo: Reece Andrews/WCSN)
No. 11 Arizona State extended its win streak to 20 games Saturday afternoon and swept the Utah Utes 8-7 to remain undefeated in Pac-12 play. With No. 14 Texas ending No. 1 Oklahoma’s 38-game winning streak to start the season, the Sun Devils now have the longest active win streak in the country.
Saturday’s win against the Utes also marks the best conference start in Pac-12 history and the Sun Devils’ longest win streak since 2014, when they won the first 18 games of the season. Over the last 20 games, ASU has outscored their opponents 162-48, which also included sweeps against No. 19 Oregon State, Arizona and No. 20 Oregon.
“I’m happy we figured out a way to win today,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said. “It was a little dicey for a while, but at the end of the day we found a way to win a game and that’s all that really matters.”
Arizona State got on the scoreboard right away as junior shortstop Alynah Torres led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run to left. Senior outfielder Yanni Acuña walked to bring freshman Cyd Sanders to the plate for a two-run home run to the other side of the diamond, giving the Sun Devils an early 3-0 lead, immediately prompting Utah head coach Amy Hogue to make a pitching change.
Two defensive errors allowed the Utes to put one run on the board in the top of the second. Arizona State countered in the bottom half of the inning as Mailey McLemore hit a two-out solo home run to left, extending the Devils’ lead 4-1. The long ball has been part of ASU’s playbook all year. The team has hit 73 home runs in just 36 games, a leader in the Pac-12 among other categories.
“I think it just comes naturally,” McLemore said. “We’re just going up there trying to score a ball hard, get on base and pass the bat to whoever’s behind us.”
She finished 2-for-2, in addition to her two-run home run in Friday’s 12-2 run rule over the Utes.
“It’s what we do,” Ford said. “Alynah is just on fire. She’s been a great leader for us and loves being in those situations. That’s what she thrives on.”
The fourth inning was an eventful one for both sides. Trailing 4-1, the Utes scored five runs on four hits, including a two-run home run by senior third baseman Ellessa Bonstrom. ASU struck back in the bottom half, scoring an unearned run on a passed ball and two on an error, which ultimately became the Sun Devils’ winning run.
In the circle, freshman righty Mac Morgan earned her 14th win of the season, surrendering nine hits and two earned runs, while striking out three, in four and a third innings of work. Lindsay Lopez earned the save, holding the Utes scoreless through her two and two-thirds innings of relief.
“I thought Mac threw a really good game,” Ford said. “I felt really good about us in the box and the one thing about us is we fight. [Our team] did a great job staying focused and taking care of business.”
“In the dugout during the games, no one is even talking about [it,]” McLemore said. “We do a lot of preparation and hard work during the week, especially from an offensive standpoint, so I think we just have to trust and buy into what we’ve done.”
The Sun Devils (31-5, 12-0 Pac-12) will take the streak to the Bay Area, where they will play a three-game series against the Stanford Cardinal (27-12, 6-6) Apr. 22-24, before returning home for the final home series against Cal and UCLA the following weekends.
“[We just have to keep] playing our game, stay loose and not let the win streak and everything else get to us,” McLemore said. “Stay nice and relaxed and keep doing what we’ve been doing this whole season.”
