(Photo: Paige Cook/WCSN)
For the final pre-conference game of the 2022 softball season, the No. 24 Arizona State Sun Devils (19-5, Pac 0-0) took on the Marist Red Foxes (9-12) at Farrington Stadium in which the Devils secured a 9-1 victory after just five innings of play.
The Sun Devils, who got off to a hot start on defense and offense, were led behind the likes of sophomore starting pitcher Marissa Schuld and a group effort on the offensive tallying 13 hits, with six of them being extra-base hits.
Schuld, who came into this game with a 5-2 record, 1.34 ERA and 55 strikeouts was absolutely dominant in the circle, going for five innings pitched, notching a career-high 10 strikeouts, while only allowing one earned run on four hits.
“I think Marissa has done just a tremendous job,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said. “You gotta remember, she sat out all of last year, so she worked her tail off. I’m very happy for her to see all of these pieces come together.”
Ford also talked about the future for Schuld and how everyone should get ready to see her success by saying, “ Very excited to see what she is going to do in the maroon and gold.”
On offense, ASU got off to a hot start in the first inning, with a one-run double by freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders, then followed up by a 2-run homerun by sophomore utility outfielder Emily Cazares and then a solo shot by senior designated player Jazmyn Rollin. The double and back-to-back moonshots were enough to put the Devils up by four headed into the second inning.
It didn’t stop there. Then with a double by sophomore third baseman Savannah Price, junior shortstop Alynah Torres comes up to hit an absolute bomb over the left center field wall to give her squad a six run lead.
“I think our team is being very aggressive right now. We wanna compete in the box, we wanna win every time,” said senior right fielder Yannira Acuna. “We always make sure we have a plan out there.”
The Devils continued to cruise over the next few innings due to dominance in the circle, and on offense.
This allowed the Devils to pick up three more runs on a double from freshman middle infielder in the bottom of the third.
Headed into the top of the fifth, the Red Foxes seemed like they had started to get to Schuld by getting the bases loaded, which prompted coach Ford to go and talk to her on the rubber.
“I was telling her to clear her head a little bit and to trust some things,” Ford said. “It was a very good coach to player convo.”
The conversation seemed to help Schuld find her groove again and get out of the jam only allowing one run to score for the Red Foxes on an infield single by junior utility player Same Freeland.
With the win over Marist, that would bring Arizona State to an eight game win streak headed into conference play, and that isn’t even on the minds of this Sun Devils squad.
“I didn’t know we were on an eight game win streak,” Ford said. “ We just don’t talk about it. That’s just not a thing for us. We just put our heads down and we go to work.”
“While you’re in it, let’s just grind it. To me, this is what fun is. Grinding it out, coming out here, having focused at bats, playing good defense, that’s fun.”
With conference play finally starting up this weekend at home against Oregon State, Ford and the rest of her team are looking forward to the difficulty and the energy that comes with playing conference games.
“Conference play is going to get us prepared for the postseason,” Ford said. “I think there is gonna be some good energy. Oregon State took two out of three from us last year, so we have some payback that’s due.”
With the first part of the season in the rearview mirror, the 19-5 Sun Devils are looking forward to the treacherous route that comes with playing in the Pac-12, and with spirits high and minds clear, only the future knows what “fun” is in store for Ford and her hungry homegrown squad.
“The product of the fun is what we’re looking for, so I’m excited for the conference season to start.”
