(Photo: Marlee Smith/WCSN)
For ASU softball (12-5), this past weekend’s six game Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic tournament was a tale of two halves. The red hot squad went into its first road games of 2020 coming off two successful weekend tournaments in Tempe, and provided both a feast and famine experience for Sun Devil Softball fans.
The six game set began Thursday in Cathedral City, California. The Sun Devils picked up right where they left off the week prior, dominating Auburn 14-2. Junior Madison Preston was the beneficiary of the offensive barrage, picking up her fourth win on the young season in run rule fashion.
Friday featured much of the same dominance from ASU. A doubleheader with San Diego and New Mexico showcased the team’s offensive prowess, and pitchers Cielo Meza and Samantha Mejia shined in the circle.
The long ball was a friend of the Sun Devils in both games, as the team launched eight home runs, including five in the matinee. Catcher Madi Hackbarth led the way at the plate with 6 RBIs and grand slam in the early game, which resulted in a 14-2 victory for ASU.
The lopsided affair was followed by a 15-0 beating of New Mexico, in which a seven-run first inning put the game away before the Lobos had come to bat. Samantha Mejia took to the circle for the Sun Devils and turned in a gem, throwing five scoreless innings in yet another run rule victory.
As the competition stiffened in the latter half of the tournament, the fun ran out for a Sun Devil team that had more than proven itself as one of the nation’s best thus far.
Saturday’s losses at the hands of No. 7 Florida and Notre Dame were the Sun Devils’ first since the season’s opening weekend. The onslaught of offense enjoyed by ASU stalled, and Ford’s squad limped to the weekend’s finish line with a 4-3 loss to Cal State Fullerton.
Looking ahead, ASU returns home to Farrington Stadium for a home slate, highlighted matchups with Maryland and Wisconsin. The team has plenty of time to bounce back from the trio of losses and plenty of opportunities to prove itself before Pac-12 play begins March 13 at UCLA.
