(Photo via Janaé Bradford/WCSN)
On Friday, at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium, Arizona State Softball opened its three-game series against Iowa State. Going into Friday night, ASU hoped to cool off the Cyclones, who had won six out of their last seven games.
In comeback fashion, the Sun Devils (9-2) were able to do just that with a 9-5 win over the Cyclones (6-5).
It took the Sun Devils little to no time to get runs on the board, as graduate outfielder Yannira Acuña hit a solo home run on the very first pitch in the bottom of the first inning. Later in the inning, two more runs followed, scored by junior outfielder Emily Cazares and senior infielder Jordyn VanHook.
In The top of the second inning, freshman right-handed pitcher Kylee Magee started to struggle. She allowed three walks but was able to prevent any runs from being scored. In the third inning, she wasn’t quite as lucky, allowing the Cyclones to put all five of their runs on the board.
Sophomore infielder Angelina Allen hit a two-run homer to cut the Sun Devils’ lead to one. Three other Cyclones also managed to score runs, including junior outfielder Milaysia Ochoa. Two more runners scored thanks to senior utility player Carli Spelhaug, putting the Cyclones in front 5-3.
After falling behind the Sun Devils went with sophomore pitcher Kenzie Brown. After the game, head coach Megan Bartlett talked about the turnaround from leading 3-0 to losing 5-3.
“Momentum is a huge part of softball,” Bartlett said. “Of course, we don’t want to put ourselves in that situation, but I’m proud of the players for how they responded.”
The Sun Devils responded quickly after the Cyclones offensive burst. Graduate outfielder Makenna Harper hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third to tie the game up at five.
Neither side scored again until the Sun Devils’ player of the game and graduate catcher Gianna Boccagno hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning. Junior infielder Savannah Price also scored off an Acuña RBI single to bring the Sun Devils lead to 9-5.
Despite Magee’s struggles at the beginning of the game, Bartlett spoke positively about Magee’s future and how she is expected to rebound next time she’s in the circle.
“Kylee is a tough pitcher. She stepped in and started a series against a power 5 opponent. She’s a freshman, and she is settling in, and this is a teaching moment. She’s going to continue getting starts because she is an exceptional pitcher.”
The Sun Devils will conclude their series against the Cyclones with a doubleheader on Saturday. With momentum now on ASU’s side, the Sun Devils hope it will carry them to securing the weekend sweep.
