(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
While Arizona State had to play all five innings to officially reach the Super Regionals, it felt like their ticket was punched after only one frame of Sunday’s 9-0, five-inning win over Ole Miss.
The Sun Devils hung five runs on the Rebels in the first inning and four in the third. Combined with the 1-2 punch of Giselle “G” Juarez and Breanna Macha in the pitching circle, ASU locked itself into a matchup with South Carolina for its first Super since 2013.
“I don’t really have a lot of words, and they’ll tell you that I always have words,” ASU coach Trisha Ford said of her squad. “They came out focused. They were on a mission. Pitching, defense, offense, all facets of our game, they were rolling.”
Freshman DeNae Chatman broke things open with a three-run homer in the first. The dinger was her eighth of the season and sixth in the last month. She began the season as a pinch hitter but made her 22nd start of the season on Sunday, batting cleanup for the first time. So far, she’s validated Ford’s decision.
“She’s seeing the ball well,” Ford said. “I just let her be, honestly. We keep it very simple. We tell her to get a good pitch and put a good swing on it.”
Following the home run, ASU turned over to small ball to add to its lead. Bunts from Danielle Gibson and Jade Gortarez, combined with a Rebel error, left ASU in complete control after only a single inning. Gortarez said bunting and base running were two things the team worked hard on to prepare for the postseason, and both were near-perfect on Sunday.
In the third, ASU capitalized one two singles and another error to get the game into run-rule territory. By the third, every ASU starter had reached base safely, and the Devils air-tight defense allowed them to cruise to victory.
Juarez started for the Sun Devils and encountered little trouble, giving up two hits and striking out three in three innings. Ford switched to Macha to ride out the final two frames, and the senior righty gave up no hits or runs with three strikeouts of her own.
Together, the pair form a strong throwing duo, characterized by the fact that they are completely different pitchers.
“It’s funny to have them see me, who is a rise-ball pitcher and then see her, who is a complete down-ball player,” Juarez said.
The Devils will now turn the attention to the Gamecocks, who survived three consecutive elimination games in their region, finally securing a bid with a victory over Liberty. The Sun Devils set a goal to host a Super Regional this season, and that goal has become a reality.
Now ASU can get its next goal: A trip to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. It’s something the team has seen within itself, especially in its ace pitcher, since the season began.
“At the beginning of the season, I even said single-handedly, Giselle Juarez can take us to a National Championship,” Macha said. “I said that from day one. I just think it goes to show the confidence our entire pitching staff, our entire team, has in her.”
The Devils will have to win several more games against several great teams if they want to hoist the championship trophy, but they took a major step with a dominant victory to secure the region. They’ll start against the Gamecocks of Thursday or Friday as the climb to the WCWS continues.
