(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
No. 13 ASU had a Saturday filled with ups and downs during their doubleheader against No. 8 Arizona. All the ups came in the first game that saw the Sun Devils flex their offensive prowess in an 8-1 win. However, all the downs came in the second game, which can confidently be called Arizona State’s worst outing this season by a wide margin in a 15-1 pummeling.
To begin with the good, ASU started the first game hot thanks to fifth-year catcher Maddi Hackbarth who blasted a two-run shot in the first inning to give ASU an early 2-0 lead.
“My plan was to see outside today because that is what I am good at,” Hackbarth said. “That is where my zone is, and when I’m there, I’m locked in.”
Hackbarth remains locked for what seems like this entire season, this being her 18th home run, which is two away from tying the ASU single-season record for home runs. The Pac-12 leader in home runs and RBIs was not the only Sun Devil to hit two-run bombs.
Hackbarth’s batting order neighbor, sophomore infielder Alaynah Torres, joined her with two two-run homers in the third and fifth inning, respectively. Both times had Hackbarth on base before Torres went deep.
“Having people on, knowing my teammates can get on and I can get through and get the runs for them is also a good thing too,” Torres said. “At the end of the day, I was just trying to get on base and hit it hard.”
Torres is second for the Sun Devils in homers and has been quietly one of the most dangerous hitters in this ASU lineup. As Torres explained, the benefit of having runners on from the perspective of a great hitter is a satisfying sight to see. However, it solely matters on the ability to drive in those runs, which was the difference in the game.
The Wildcats could not drive in base runners and take advantage of the Sun Devils’ defensive mistakes. Many opportunities presented themselves for Arizona to take control of the game but never cashed in.
A big part of Arizona never being able to capitalize thanks to the pitching by the Sun Devils. freshman pitcher Allison Royalty had the start for the game and early on had very little control of her pitches. She had no location and missed the zone many times.
Even with that, Royalty had timely moments to weasel her way out of tricky situations. The bend but don’t break strategy from the freshman was full effect as she allowed one run on five hits, three walks, and three strikeouts in three and two-thirds frames.
“I think [Royalty] worked her pitches today and trusted what was being called,” Hackbarth said. “Control what she can control, and that’s just throwing strikes, pounding the zone, and that’s what I think she did a really good job today with.”
Royalty did not dominate with the performance Saturday, but she effectively stopped any momentum the Wildcats had with runners on base. Lopez came to finish the rest of the game, allowing three hits in an 8-1 victory for the Sun Devils. The victory gives ASU their first series win over Arizona since 2015.
“It felt good to get that win,” Hackbarth said. “I know for returners and for people who have been here that was huge for us, and it was definitely a monkey off our backs.”
Hackbarth continued to highlight how big it was for the upperclassmen and the freshman to work together and finally beat their in-state rivalries in a series for the first time in six years.
Moving to the second game is when the good switched to ugly, as the Wildcats made the un Devils pay for taking the first two games of the series.
While the Wildcats offense deserves some credit for the 15 runs, the Sun Devils defensive miscues deserve most of the credit for the beatdown.
ASU allowed seven hits for 15 runs in game two. To put it into perspective how mind-boggling that is, they allowed eight hits in game one that only equated to one run. So obviously, it was not the Wildcats’ power that was bringing in the runs.
Fifth-year pitcher Cielo Meza was the pitcher for ASU, and from the first frame, you could tell that it was not going to be a pretty outing. As she allowed a two-run shot to UofA Senior shortstop Jessie Harper to give Arizona a lead, they never looked back.
From there on out, Meza had no sense of the zone throwing it wildly and allowing Arizona to get easy baserunners on, and this time they did not waste their opportunity.
In the top of the third inning, Meza would allow a run in five straight at-bats to give Arizona a 7-0 lead. A combination of walks, hit by pitches, and passed balls allowed runners to get on base and score.
The next inning was not any prettier for Meza as this time she allowed seven runs due to sloppy pitching while missing her targets. The defense was not any help either, as infield errors did not stop the bleeding.
Head coach Trisha Ford decided to stick with Meza throughout this annihilation no matter what happened. The lack of depth in the rotation plus having both Lopez and Royalty pitched in games previously in the day made the decision understandable.
In the end, Meza finished the game with 12 earned runs, nine walks, three hit-by-pitches, three wild pitches, seven hits, and only four strikeouts. A horrendous outing for Meza, but the Sun Devils’ offense did not look much better.
The Sun Devils were two outs away from allowing a no-hitter in five innings of play. Arizona junior pitcher Alyssa Denham lit up ASU from the very beginning, never giving them a glimpse of hope.
“I mean, nothing’s changed,” Hackbarth said about the difference in offense from game one to game two. “We go in with the same mindset, have a plan, stick to your plan.”
Denham messed up the Devils’ plan as she pitched a nearly flawless game that saw her fan six batters and only allowing one run in five innings pitched. ASU was overwhelmed both offensively and defensively from the get-go and never responded.
The Sun Devils got punched in the mouth in the second game of their doubleheader and look to punch back Sunday where they play the series finale against their in-state rivalry.
“I think we are going to forget about the second game and come out tomorrow and go at it,” Hackbarth said. “The future is bright here at Arizona State.”
