(Photo by Nicholas Badders/ WCSN)
Riding a five-game winning streak to open Pac-12 play, No. 17 Arizona State (25-8, 5-1 Pac-12) is headed South to take on No. 11 Arizona (24-7, 6-0 Pac-12) in its first road series of the season.
While the trip to Tucson represents the first true road games away from Farrington Stadium for this Sun Devil squad, it also represents an opportunity for ASU freshmen Mikayla Santa Cruz and Yannira Acuña to return to their hometown.
Santa Cruz said that she grew up attending the Territorial Cup matchups each year,
“My dad would make me go [to Arizona softball games], and the game that I always loved the most was the ASU-U of A game,” Santa Cruz said. “I always waited for that and I would come up [to Tempe] for the ASU-U of A game and I would always be cheering for ASU.”
The Sun Devils enter the series with hot bats, as ASU scored 45 runs in their three-game sweep of Utah last weekend. Over the course of the Sun Devils five-game winning streak, the Devils have averaged 15 runs per game.
That offensive firepower has been led by the Hackbarth sisters as Kindra and Maddi each have carried the load for the Sun Devils. Kindra had 3 home runs and 7 RBI during the series against the Utes, while Maddi added 5 home runs and 9 RBI of her own, along with national and conference player of the week awards.
Home runs should be expected for both squads this weekend, as the Sun Devils and Wildcats rank first and second nationally in home runs per game. But, if the Sun Devils are going to be able to continue the offensive success, they will have to solve Arizona junior Alyssa Denham, who no-hit the Oregon State Beavers on Sunday March 29. Denham heads the Wildcat pitching staff with a 5-2 record and 2.35 ERA on the season.
Head coach Trisha Ford said although the stakes are higher this season with both teams highly ranked, it always remains a goal to win in the Territorial Cup matchup.
“You’ll never lose that no matter how old and washed up I am,” Ford said. “I love that. I love the competition. I love the intensity, I love the atmosphere and I love being booed. And then I love when we quiet them.”
The Sun Devils and Wildcats begin the series Friday night at 5 p.m. at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium.
