ASU Softball: Sun Devils sweep Utes behind stellar pitching

(Photo: Liesl Babicka/WCSN)

No. 9 ranked Arizona State used stellar pitching and timely hitting to secure a three-game sweep over the Utah Utes.

Game 1

Arizona State began the first game of the three-game set off with a run-rule 12-0 victory over the Utah Utes behind phenomenal pitching and a revived offense.

Sophomore G Juarez continued her dominating stint from the circle as she has all year as Juarez picked up her nation-leading 11th shutout of the season. The southpaw allowed only three hits while picking up eight strikeouts.

Following the game, Juarez has now put herself among the all-time Sun Devil greats as she moved her total to 240 strikeouts on the year. The mark puts her 10th-all-time for a season in ASU history.

While Juarez dominated from the circle, the Sun Devil bats heated up in the second inning with four runs in the inning. The main blow came from Kindra Hackbarth who scored three runs on a bases-clearing triple. The hit would be the first of three for K. Hackbarth who finished with three hits and three RBIs.

ASU would tack on two more runs in the fourth inning before exploding for the game-ending six runs in the fifth inning. Danielle Gibson began things for the Sun Devil offense with a bases-loaded double that scored three runs with two outs in the inning. Morgan Howe and DeNae Chatman would score three more to put the finishing touches on the 12-0 final.

The ASU offense finished the game outhitting the Utes 12-3 from seven different batters. It was Howe, K. Hackbarth, and Gibson who finished with three hits apiece for the Sun Devils.

Game 2

Arizona State used another dominating pitching performance from the circle as they took game two of the three-game set 7-2 over the Utah Utes.

This time it was senior Breanna Macha who picked up her ninth complete game of the season as she held the Utes to two runs on seven hits while finishing with five strikeouts giving Macha her 11th win on the season.

The Sun Devils jumped out to a 1-0 lead behind freshman Rylee Maston who picked up her first career RBI on a fielder’s choice. After the Utes answered back in the bottom of the third, ASU would answer right back with three runs in the fifth.

It was Morgan Howe who opened up the game even more for ASU with a bases-clearing triple that scored Ashely Moss, Taylor Becerra and Bella Loomis to give the Sun Devils a 4-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning. ASU would strike again in the seventh behind a Becerra triple followed by a Danielle Gibson RBI single.

Marisa Stankiewicz would add two more to the Sun Devils lead as she hit her eighth home run of the season, a two-run shot that put ASU ahead 7-1 heading into the bottom of the inning.

The Utes would answer with a run in the bottom half of the inning to pull the score to 7-2 but Macha and the defense were able to escape the inning to close out the victory.

Game 3

The third and final game of the weekend was tight until the end, but Arizona State was able to prevail behind a clutch hit from Maddi Hackbarth to win the game 4-3 and the series.

It was once again sophomore southpaw G Juarez who picked up her second complete game of the series as she allowed three runs on four hits while picking up 10 strikeouts in the victory.

Utah jumped out to their first lead over ASU in the series behind a two-run home run in the first. The Sun Devils were unable to get anything going until the fourth inning. It was freshman DeNae Chatman that put the team ahead with a three-run home run in the top of the inning marking her third of the year.

The Utes answered back with another home run in the bottom of the fifth to knot the score at 3-3 heading into the final two innings.

It was sophomore M. Hackbarth who would deliver the clutch hit for ASU as she came up with a two-out RBI single to score Morgan Howe from second base to put the Sun Devils up 4-3 heading into the final inning.

Juarez would shut the door as ASU wrapped up their second Pac-12 series sweep against Utah. The Sun Devils will next play against New Mexico State on Tuesday as the doubleheader is set to begin 2 p.m. PT.