ASU Softball: Sun Devils stun No. 9 Washington in Tempe

(Photo via Nicole Mullen/WCSN)

ASU Softball came into Saturday looking to save face and not go down 2-0 in its series against No. 9 Washington as they had in its previous two Pac-12 Conference series. Going against the trend, the Sun Devils turned it around after their Friday night loss, beating the Huskies to earn their first top 10 win of the season.

ASU (19-11, 3-5) played steady defense the whole seven innings and got hot at the right times on offense to pull off the 3-1 upset over Washington (26-7, 7-4). Sophomore right-hander Kenzie Brown’s pitching was critical for ASU, as she did not give up a hit in her time at the mound. Graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña was the star for the Sun Devils on offense, recording two hits and turning them into runs both times.

The Sun Devils wasted no time in making their mark on offense, as Acuña hit a leadoff double into right field in the first. A subsequent throwing error by the Huskies’ third baseman allowed Acuña to score to take the early lead.

However, instead of the Sun Devil’s offense building on the momentum, it went quiet. Senior right-hander Kelley Lynch did not give up another hit for the next four innings while striking out seven batters in the process. Meanwhile, ASU’s defense was keeping the Huskies at bay.

Freshman right-hander Kylee Magee got the start and kept Washington hitless until the fourth inning. However, things quickly got out of hand, as Washington opened up the inning with a double and a single.

The Sun Devils then inserted Brown on the mound to weather the storm. After giving up a walk to load the bases, she got the next three batters out. But amid the chaos, Washington scored the game-tying run on a flyout. After that, Brown did not give up a hit, let alone a run, to the 17th-highest-scoring offense in the nation for the rest of the game. The sophomore had an interesting strategy to keep her composure.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to overthink it, so I was thinking about what I was going to eat after (the game),” Brown said. “But honestly, I just trusted my team and trusted coach (Jeremy) Manley. … I was just trying not to let the moment get too big.”

The pitchers kept going at it, not allowing another hit until the sixth inning. At that point, Lynch had been sat down after throwing 85 pitches. Senior right-hander Brooke Nelson took over at the start of the inning for her 10th appearance of the season, and the Sun Devils pounced on her right away.

Once again, Acuña was the one to get things going for the Sun Devils, hitting a single into right field. Graduate infielder Alexa Milius followed it up with a single of her own before senior infielder Jazmyn Rollin hit a double into right field that drove in Acuña’s second run of the day. A flyout allowed Rollin to score herself and give the Sun Devils the two-run lead. ASU had suddenly recorded three hits in the inning, one more than it had in the previous five. Rollin thought that the Sun Devils focused on themselves rather than their opponent to score when they needed to.

“I think the message right now is putting the ball in your shoebox,” Rollin said. “If the ball is in your shoebox when you’re ready to attack, pull the trigger. Before, we were trying to hit (the opponent’s) best pitch … and now, we’re working to our strengths. If I see a pitch I like to go for, I’m going for it. So instead of working to their strengths, we’re working to our own strengths.”

The Huskies would not go away easily though, putting pressure on the Sun Devils in a dramatic final inning. Washington quickly got into scoring position when freshman outfielder Brooklyn Carter stole second after a walk. Brown then hit a batter with a pitch, giving Washington two runners on base. After a lengthy delay due to the umpires reviewing whether Brown had hit the batter or struck her out, Washington brought the winning run to the plate. A subsequent groundout resulted in both runners moving into scoring position.

Still needing just one more out to secure the win, Brown walked another batter to load the bases. With the anticipation piled high, Brown battled with reigning Pac-12 Player of the Week fifth-year outfielder Madison Huskey for eight pitches en route to delivering the game-sealing punchout. Both the crowd and the players let out a roar to celebrate the upset.

The Sun Devils now have their first chance at winning a Pac-12 series, as their only Pac-12 wins this season have come when trying to avoid being swept. Head coach Megan Bartlett had a candid response when asked about how the fans have rallied around the team even when ailing at times.

“It just makes my heart happy,” Bartlett said. “I think our fanbase has been amazing. It’s a big transition, and it’s been a tough year, it really has. … There’s been a lot of emotional up-and-downs, and there’s been a lot of heartbreaking, tough losses. We will continue to get better and better every season, and this will be a program that competes for national championships.”