(Photo via Joey Plishka/WCSN)
On Sunday, Arizona State Softball faced off against the Weber State Wildcats with hopes of extending its win streak to 4 games and ending the homestand on a high note.
Although the Wildcats (3-6) got the early jump on the Sun Devils (8-2), ASU was able to play from behind to earn the 3-2 win at Farrington Stadium.
For the second time this weekend, head coach Megan Bartlett went with freshman right-handed pitcher Kylee Magee to start in the circle. Magee opened up the game with a quick and clean 1-2-3 inning to get her team to the bottom of the first.
Continuing right where the offense left off Saturday night, graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña led off with a single. With two outs on the board, senior infielder Jazmyn Rollin brought Acuña in for the first run of the game with an RBI single.
In the top of the second inning, Weber State junior infielder Emily Ruhl got the Wildcats going with a home run to tie the game 1-1. That was the only damage done in the top half, but ASU was unable to respond, going 1-2-3 in the bottom half.
Magee returned to the circle to start the third, and the Wildcats added another run after sophomore catcher Mika Chong hit a double to plate fifth-year infielder McKell McCuistion, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
Once again, ASU hoped to respond, but with two outs and two runners on base, senior infielder Jordyn VanHook stranded her teammates by grounding out end the inning.
To open the fourth, Bartlett turned to sophomore righty Kenzie Brown in the circle, ending Magee’s day.
“We’re settling in with a fairly young and fairly inexperienced pitching staff. … I thought Kylee pitched really well, and she made one mistake, and they made her pay for it,” Bartlett said. “It’s highly offensive right now, so we just try and keep our cool and make adjustments bat to bat, pitch to pitch, and I think they’re showing nice signs.”
Upon entering the game, Brown gave up back-to-back singles but quickly found her control. To get the outs needed, she let her defense do the work, making plays on a fielder’s choice and a pair of lineouts.
When the Sun Devils came back up to bat, the offense was rejuvenated by a leadoff single by graduate infielder Alexa Milius. Freshman outfielder Yannixa Acuña came into pinch run for Milius. She managed to steal second before being brought in for a run by graduate outfielder Makenna Harper’s RBI single.
Brown retired the next three batters, allowing ASU to quickly return to offense and keep its momentum. Senior outfielder Jazmine Hill took advantage of the opportunity by ripping a home run over the wall to give ASU the 3-2 lead. Hill’s homer would end up being the game-winning run.
In an attempt to keep the offense moving, Yanni Acuña hit a double to put herself in scoring position. Although she was left stranded, the hit marked her 38th career double, good for tenth all-time in ASU’s record books.
Graduate righty Marissa Schuld entered in the sixth to close out the game. Shuld pitched a perfect 1.1 innings, retiring all four batters she faced and securing the win for the Sun Devils.
“The pitching staff is just one of a kind,” Brown said. “I think we’re going to have a really special season this year on the mound … having a really nice defense behind us, having that trust just making sure they’re going to get that play and having our offense really just come to life. It will take maybe a few batters before we settle in, but once that happens, we’re off, ready to go.”
For their next five contests, the Sun Devils will travel north to California for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. There, they’ll look to continue their four-game win streak.
“There’s things that everyone can improve on, but I guess just really trying to get ahead early – that’s with pitches, hitters, defense – but making sure that we stay true to the next game because that’s the most important game in the season,” Brown said. “(We’re) making sure that we stay focused and stay true to ourselves this season, and I think we will be good to go.”
