ASU Softball: No. 11 Sun Devils keep win streak alive with Hill’s walk-off heroics

(Photo courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics)

In the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and two outs, ASU junior center fielder Jazmine Hill held the No. 11 Sun Devils’ magical 17-game winning streak in her hands as her team trailed by one run. Just looking for a strike, Hill zoned in and came up big in a two-strike count, hitting a two-run RBI single to right field, giving the Sun Devils the 10-9 win over the Utes at Farrington Stadium on Saturday, extending their win streak to 18 games.

Through multiple momentum changes, Arizona State was able to stay the course and pull out a win for the ages.

Things got started early for the Sun Devils when Hill opened scoring with an RBI double, giving the Sun Devils a 1-0 lead. Three batters later, senior left fielder Makenna Harper extended the lead with a grand slam to right-center, ballooning the lead to five.

Both teams failed to score again until the top of the fourth, when Utah started to chip into the lead, scoring three runs. Junior first baseman Halle Morris lit the spark when she hit a three-run home run to left field, cutting the lead down to two for the Sun Devils.

Without an answer in the bottom of the fourth, the barrage of runs by Utah continued as it tacked on five more runs, all via the long ball, giving it their first lead of the game. Senior center fielder Ellessa Bonstrom started the inning with a three-run home run of her own. Junior third baseman Julia Jimenez followed suit with a solo home run to left field. Then to end the inning, Morris went yard with a solo homer to left field. The score was 8-5.

Down three going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the dugout was positive, as Harper stated after the game.

“It was just pass the bat,” she said. “Get a runner on and pass the bat. Trust your teammate behind you, and that’s what we do. I think we executed it really well.”

The Sun Devils did just that as senior Yanni Acuña hit a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing one run to score, cutting the deficit to two runs. Freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders kept the momentum alive by hitting a two-run home run to left field, tying the game at 8-8.

A scoreless seventh inning by both sides sent the game into extra innings, where Utah extended their lead by one via an RBI double to right-center by senior left fielder Jordyn Gasper. With two quick outs in the bottom of the eight, the light was starting to fade on the Sun Devils. With the bases loaded and two outs, Hill came up to the plate and delivered big on a two-strike count.

A single over the head of Utah’s second basemen was enough to allow Acuna and sophomore catcher Jessica Puk to score, winning the game for the Sun Devils and extending their winning streak to 18 games.

Hill wasn’t looking for anything special during that moment except something that she could put into play.

“I just zoned in and made sure I saw the ball down as (graduate student righty Shi Smith) had a pretty good (rise ball).”

Hill attributed her success at the plate as of late to the coaching staff, saying, “I have to give a shot out to the coaches, obviously. Making sure they help me slow down because I can get a little crazy head. But just as a hitter myself making sure I slow the game down.”

A long game turns into an even longer night for head coach Trisha Ford as she gets prepared for Fridays’ game.

“I’m gonna watch some film. I think we just need to be more efficient in the circle. I think we were working behind counts quite a bit,” Ford stated afterward. “I think that would be where I’m going to start, and it will be a long night for me watching film. I think the other thing is in the batter’s box, we threw away some at-bats. The second, third, and fourth innings, we didn’t put any runs up, and I think we’re capable; it’s just kind of tidying up those things. We had 12 hits, so it’s not like we didn’t hit the ball. We have to take care of things in the circle.”

Taking care of things in the circle was a central point for Ford, and rightfully so; as starting pitcher freshman righty, Mac Morgan pitched four and a third innings, allowing five hits, three earned runs, and a pair of walks and strikeouts. Relieving Morgan was sophomore right-hander Marissa Schuld, who allowed the three home runs in the fifth going three and two-thirds innings with seven hits, six runs three earned, a single, a walk, and a strikeout.

Schuld’s night ended at the top of the eight after allowing the go-ahead run to Utah. Junior lefty Lindsay Lopez was called upon to finish the game and pick up the win.

The Sun Devils will face Utah again on Friday, April 15, at 6 P.M. MST.