(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
No. 17 Arizona State softball (16-6) dominated in its 16-2 run-rule victory over Maryland to end the Sun Devil Classic. The Sun Devils saw 15 different players record at-bats with 10 of them notching at least one hit.
ASU jumped on Maryland early scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Center fielder Kindra Hackbarth started the game off with a hard hit ball to center. Second basemen Bella Loomis and right fielder Jazmine Hill followed by each drawing walks. Shortstop Alynah Torres brought in Hackbarth with a hard hit ball to the second basemen. Catcher Maddi Hackbarth then brought in Loomis with a sacrifice fly to left field.
“We were ready,” senior Kindra Hackbarth said. “We had a different attack plan pregame, we came out first pitch ready.”
Cielo Meza got the start in the circle for the Sun Devils. She pitched for three innings and gave up two hits, two walks, but allowed zero runs.
“Cielo did a great job of coming out and pounding that strike zone,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said.
The runs continued for the Sun Devils in the bottom of the second inning. Third baseman Kiara Kennedy started the inning off with a walk. Left fielder Makenna Harper joined her on the bags after she hit a single to the outfield. K. Hackbarth then hit them both in with a double to to right field. Loomis followed with a hit of her own to force Maryland to change pitchers. M. Hackbarth was able to hit her sister in before the inning closed by Hill getting thrown out at second after an attempted steal, making the score 5-0 after two.
After a quick three up three down by the Sun Devil defense in the top of the third, ASU’s bats exploded in the bottom half of the inning. The Sun Devils were able to bat through their entire lineup with Kennedy, Harper, and Loomis all recording hits. Torres added to the fun with her first homerun of the weekend.
“I was coming out of a little slump,” Torres said. “So hitting that made it so much better.”
The Sun Devils were able to score six runs off of the four hits in the third thanks to a walk and a couple of errors by the Maryland defense.
ASU started to switch things up in the fourth inning as pitcher Morgan Leinstock took over for Meza in the circle and catcher Macy Simmons took over for M. Hackbarth behind the dish. This was Leinstock’s first appearance as a Sun Devil. She walked her first batter then struck out the next two before allowing another walk. Simmons then gunned down the runner stealing second to end the inning.
Although ASU had already scored the eight runs needed for the fifth inning run rule to be completed, they kept the bats hot in the fourth to tally five more to the scoreboard.
The Sun Devils were able to hit through the entire lineup again, except this inning the lineup looked a little different. Outfielder Mailey Mclemore started the inning with a pop up to center field. Jordyn Vanhook really got things going with a rocket that soared over dead center for her first career home run.
“It honestly felt amazing,” Vanhook said. “It was pretty cool to round the bases and see my teammates cheering me on.”
Second basemen Halle Harger followed the home run with a hit of her own to right field. Then Lindsay Lopez, who pitched in Saturday’s win against Southern Utah, stepped up to the plate to hit her first career home run.
“It couldn’t have been better timing,” Lopez said. “My grandparents are in town so they were able to see it.”
Outfielder Olivia Miller was next up. Miller hit the ball into center field before being brought home by a Hill home run to make the score 16-0 after the fourth inning.
“We just have a really talented team and we have a lot of kids on the bench that will get opportunities,” Ford said of the change in lineup. “It’s neat to see all of their hard work pay off.”
The Terrapins saw a little offensive action in the top of the fifth. They scored two runs off of four hits but it was not enough to overcome the run-rule deficit. The final score was 16-2 ASU.
“It’s been a great ride so far this season” Vanhook said. “I’m expecting us to be just as good or better for the rest of the season.”
ASU softball plays again Thursday March 5th against Wright State to kick off the ASU invitational.
