(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
No. 13 Arizona State battled No. 8 Arizona until the very last pitch as they secured the territorial cup victory in the first game of this weekend’s series.
Numerous players made vital contributions for both teams, resulting in a classic, competitive rivalry game between two bitter foes.
The Sun Devils struck first in the heated matchup as sophomore outfielder Jazmine Hill launched a monster of a home run to left field to give the Sun Devils and early lead. The solo shot was her ninth of the year.
The momentum stuck with Arizona State as junior outfielder Makenna Harper ripped a double to right field in the bottom of the second scoring one run. One inning later, Harper drove in another run as she drew a walk with the bases loaded, increasing the Arizona State lead to three.
As the Sun Devils got things rolling at the plate, freshman pitcher Allison Royalty was holding her own from the circle. She failed to record a strikeout within the first three innings but was still able to hold the Wildcats to only one hit during that span.
The Wildcats finally caught on to Royalty in the top of the third inning after redshirt freshman designated hitter Sharlize Palacios lifted a ball into the palm trees of Farrington Stadium, bringing the score to within one. One batter later, Royalty’s night was done as she was relieved by sophomore pitcher Lindsey Lopez.
As Arizona clawed their way back into the game, Arizona State responded by way of a solo home run to deep dead-centerfield from senior infielder Bella Loomis. The dinger gave Arizona State a two-run lead heading into the fifth inning, but it would go on be their last offensive strike, setting the stage for Lopez to seal the victory.
In the latter stages of the game, Harper made it very clear that Lopez was not alone on the field. Harper flashed the leather as she successfully dove for a fly ball, ending the top half of the fifth.
“It’s nothing, see ball catch ball, you know, do your job, do what you’ve got to do,” Harper said.
The next inning, Harper tracked down a screaming line drive in the left field corner, preventing an extra base hit from senior infielder Malia Martinez. Farrington Stadium exploded with energy at the sight of the web gem despite that Arizona freshman outfielder Jasmine Perezchica tagged from third and scored on the play, bringing the score to 4-3.
“It takes a lot of weight off my shoulders knowing that they’re there to back me up,” Lopez said.
Entering the seventh inning, Lopez was tasked with retiring the strongest part of the Arizona with emotions of the rivalry running high.
“If I’m going to be honest, going into that game got my heart rate way higher. I just had to slow myself down and get that heart rate down again,” Lopez said.
There was no quit in the Arizona dugout as a single from senior infielder Reyna Carranco looked to be the spark of a seventh inning rally. The momentum began to shift when senior catcher Dejah Mulipola smacked a double down the left field line, moving Carranco to third.
With the go ahead run on second base, it was time for head coach Trisha Ford to call a mound visit and play a little chess as they elected to intentionally walk senior shortstop Jessie Harper, bringing Palacios to the plate with the bases juiced.
“We thought that putting a force, you know from a defensive standpoint, kind of helped our defense a little bit, you know, Jessie Harper has a lot of experience and you know maybe doesn’t have quite the crazy numbers that she’s had every other year, but that kid can win a ballgame and she’s still very very good hitter,” head coach Trisha Ford said.
The decision aged well.
With tension so thick you could cut it with a knife, Lopez and Palacios battled back and forth but Lopez came out on top after Palacios swung through what Ford called, a “nasty” changeup, bringing up fifth-year outfielder Alyssa Palomino-Cardoza with two outs.
With a smirk of confidence on her face, Lopez kept the ball off of the barrel as Palomino-Cardoza grounded out to sophomore shortstop Alynah Torres, ending the game 4-3.
Farrington Stadium exploded with what felt like a pre-pandemic energy as senior infielder Denae Chatman secured the throw from Torres and embraced Lopez in the circle.
For a team that usually wins because of their offense, the performance of Royalty and Lopez was nothing short of remarkable.
“I thought Royalty did a tremendous job, you know she’s freshman pitching, you know, she did a great job for you know three and a half innings and then Lindsay came in and shut down,” Ford said.
The thin staff saw a lot of success Friday night, but they will not have much time to celebrate as the Territorial Cup battle continues Saturday afternoon.
It is impossible to predict what will happen on the field Saturday, but if one thing is for certain, there will be no lack of energy, emotion or entertainment.
