(Photo via Nicole Mullen/WCSN)
In a month filled with madness, Arizona State Softball came into Stillwater to try and create an upset of its own against No. 2 Oklahoma State, but the lack of pressure created on offense left the Sun Devils running in place.
Despite holding the Cowgirls (22-2) to just three hits, the Sun Devils (16-7, 1-2) only created two of their own and fell 1-0. Oklahoma State, which has five players with a batting average above .375, put up its lowest run total of the season thanks to junior right-hander Mac Osborne’s drop ball. However, the Sun Devils faced redshirt senior left-hander Kelly Maxwell, who kept ASU guessing en route to her season-high-tying 15 strikeouts.
The Sun Devils were coming off an 8-0 run-rule loss against the University of Central Florida earlier in the day, and the momentum seemed to carry into the first inning against OSU. Although it was slow going on offense for most of the game, the Cowgirls came out hot and immediately put pressure on ASU.
In the bottom of the first, OSU’s first two batters got on base thanks to a walk and a single from freshman utility player Tallen Edwards. A passed ball advanced the runners to second and third, and even though Osborne got the next three batters out, the Cowgirls drove in the only run of the game.
From that point on, Osborne was rock solid, only allowing a runner to second base three times for the rest of the game. As alluded to, Osborne’s drop ball was her main weapon, as she kept baiting the Cowgirls into ground balls. She totaled 13 groundouts on the day along with two strikeouts.
And Osborne also got some help from the rest of the defense, who were adequately prepared to deal with the ground balls. For instance, after a walk in the second inning, Osborne fielded a ground ball and threw it to junior infielder Kayla Lissy, who quickly executed the double play from second to senior infielder Jordyn VanHook at first. ASU had another double play in the fourth, this time with VanHook throwing to Lissy. The Sun Devils ended the day with 18 putouts and zero errors in what was one of their best defensive efforts this season.
But it was quite the performance on defense for the Cowgirls as well. Maxwell handled everything the Sun Devils threw at her, only letting two batters get as far as second base. One of those batters was freshman outfielder Yannixa Acuña, who recorded the Sun Devils’ first hit of the day (including the UCF game) in the fourth with a single up the middle, using her speed to evade the ground out. Acuña, who is typically utilized as a pinch runner, now has four singles in five at-bats this season.
Other than a single into right field from graduate student outfielder Makenna Harper, no one else could get past the dynamic pitching of Maxwell. Graduate student outfielder Yannira Acuña, who leads ASU with a batting average of .417, was struck out three times in her four at-bats. NCAA homerun leader VanHook was walked once but struck out twice. The Sun Devils were 0-11 when having runners on base, and Maxwell’s 15 strikeouts were the most ASU has seen all season.
The Sun Devils now fall to 16-7 on the season and are 1-4 in their last five games. They will have a quick turnaround Saturday, facing Minnesota in the morning and then rematching UCF. The Sun Devil offense totaled just two hits across 13 innings Friday and will need to generate some better offensive rhythm to avoid a losing record this weekend.
