ASU Softball: Sun Devils drop series opener against Washington

(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)

On Friday, Arizona State Softball opened its three-game series against Washington at Farrington Stadium. Going into Friday night, ASU hoped to upset the No. 9-ranked Huskies, who were coming off a sweep of Arizona.

In heartbreaking fashion, the Sun Devils (18-11, 2-5) lost a close one to the Huskies (26-6, 7-3) 4-2. ASU was able to keep the game close throughout but wasn’t able to overcome Washington in the end.

It didn’t take long for either side to get runs on the board, as fifth-year outfielder Sami Reynolds scored a run in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first, graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña scored a run off of contact made by senior infielder Jordyn Vanhook to tie the game up early.

The next run scored was in the bottom of the third inning when junior infielder Savannah Price scored a run thanks to an RBI single from senior infielder Jazmyn Rollin, making it 2-1. This was the Sun Devils’ only lead of the game. The Huskies were able to recover quickly, though, by putting two runs up on the board, making it 3-2.

The last run was scored in the top of the fifth when fifth-year infielder SilentRain Espinoza hit a solo homer. After Espinoza’s homer, head coach Megan Bartlett decided to take her starter junior right-handed pitcher Mac Osborne out of the game.

The Sun Devils went with sophomore righty pitcher Kenzie Brown. She struggled right away and only pitched for one inning, as she hit freshman utility player Alana Johnson and walked the next two batters to load the bases. Graduate right-handed pitcher Marissa Schuld entered in the sixth inning to close out the game. Despite the struggles, Bartlett gave props to her pitching staff after the loss.

“I thought that the pitching staff did a nice job,” Bartlett said. “They got us out of some tough situations, and (Schuld) gave us a chance to win.”

The Sun Devils still have two games left to play against the Huskies this weekend. The Sun Devils will look to bounce back on Saturday to avoid losing their third-straight Pac-12 series.

Bartlett expressed that she wants her team to continue to fight and battle, and she believes they are ready for any challenge that is thrown their way. Although they lost, Bartlett was able to find a strong message to deliver to her players.

“They just have to keep fighting,” Bartlett said. “If they allow the foundation of belief to crumble, it’s over, the rest of the season.”