(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)
After getting outscored 20-0 in the first two games of the series against Arizona, Arizona State Softball came into Sunday with much pressure to merely compete with the school down south.
But the Sun Devils did more than compete; they overcame the Wildcats 4-3 thanks to some clutch defense and opportune hitting. The Sun Devils (16-5, 1-2) were outhit 10-7 and faced loaded-bases jams in three different innings, but they struck at the right time to come out on top. Freshman right-hander Kylee Magee did her part pitching, holding the Wildcats (17-7, 2-1) scoreless for four straight innings.
“We couldn’t go down like that again, not against them,” Magee said. “We just had to have more fun today. I think (the last two days), we were just not there and that really affected how we played. It was just a good mentality we had, that we’re not going to lose to them.”
Despite the final result, it wasn’t a great start for Magee, as Arizona quickly picked up where they left off Friday and Saturday. Magee forced the first two batters to ground out before junior infielder Carlie Scupin hit a home run into right field. The next three batters got on base via a single, a walk and a hit-by-pitch, and the bases were suddenly loaded. Arizona scored again off a single from redshirt senior infielder Izzy Pacho before the inning ended on a fielder’s choice.
The third inning also saw the Sun Devils looking vulnerable, as Magee threw nine straight balls to allow two runners on base for the Wildcats with no outs. However, the tide quickly changed when the Sun Devils picked off a runner at second and caught two flyouts in left field.
After the momentum shift on defense, the Sun Devil offense showed a spark that was yet to be seen in the series. Graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña got into scoring position thanks to a single and a sacrifice bunt. Senior infielder Jazmyn Rollin then hit a ball deep into centerfield, scoring Acuña and putting herself on second base. Immediately after, senior infielder and NCAA home run leader Jordyn VanHook hit her 14th home run of the year to put the Sun Devils up 3-2.
After being held to just four hits on Friday by junior right-handed pitcher Devyn Netz, the Sun Devils recorded three hits and three runs in the third inning and forced Arizona to make a change on the mound. Head coach Megan Bartlett said the strategy against Netz didn’t change but the mentality did.
“She chewed us alive (on Friday) with that drop-curve that she throws,” Bartlett said. “We just kept trying to overplay. We were pressing. It’s a big moment. Half of the team is new to ASU and the rivalry. … We didn’t change the gameplan, we just actually executed it and got some good results.”
At the top of the fifth, Arizona got runners on first and second with one out thanks to a walk and a single. The Sun Devils got their second out off a lineout ball caught by graduate infielder Alexa Milius, but Arizona’s runners advanced to second and third after her throw to first to complete the double play was off the mark.
Magee walked another batter, and the Sun Devils, once again, struggled with walks and errors as they had previously in the series. However, Magee stayed solid and recorded her only strikeout of the game, letting out a roar to the crowd and leaving three runners stranded.
The Wildcats heard from Rollin again in the fifth when she hit a home run into right field to give ASU a 4-2 lead. This run proved to be crucial for ASU, as it continued to face many pressure-packed situations on the other side of the ball.
Graduate student right-hander Marissa Schuld took over for Magee in the sixth after she had thrown a career-high 110 pitches, but it didn’t get any easier for ASU. Scupin hit a pop-up into centerfield, but no defender could get there in time, allowing runners to get to first and second. ASU then walked its seventh batter of the day, creating yet another bases-loaded situation, this time with just one out.
The Sun Devils didn’t escape unscathed this time, as Arizona drove in its third run of the day off a single into left field by junior utility player Allie Skaggs. However, the Sun Devils did just enough to keep the lead, as an infield flyout was tracked down by junior infielder Savannah Price and a subsequent fielder’s choice at second base ended the inning. VanHook said that the Sun Devils kept it simple on defense which allowed them to hold off the Wildcats.
“Our pitchers are going to do it for us, and we also have to have their backs,” VanHook said. “I think our pitchers did a really good job of getting us a lot of defensive plays. … We did a really good job of making the simple defensive plays that helped us get out of those tough situations.”
In what was their biggest test of the season thus far, the Sun Devils escaped being swept at home by their rivals. But they will not get a break, as they will head into Stillwater to face No. 3 Oklahoma State and the University of Central Florida next weekend. Although her team lost the series, Bartlett thinks this was a great learning experience to prepare for future tough matchups.
“You learn far more from losses than you do from wins,” Bartlett said. “I’m hopeful that the things that led to Friday and Saturday getting out of hand, we’re going to be able to get back to the drawing board and make some nice adjustments this week and correct it heading into Stillwater.”
