(Photo: Susan Wong/WCSN)
No. 15 Arizona State swept Cal State Fullerton in their doubleheader on Tuesday, giving head coach Trisha Ford her 300th career win as a softball coach; a huge milestone for both the program and the fifth-year Sun Devil coach.
“I didn’t know about the milestone,” Ford chuckled. “I don’t play the game; I prepare them, mentor them, and make sure that they’re ready, and I felt today we did a good job at battling.”
Coach Ford remained humble by crediting the program, her coach staff, and the players for helping her reach that achievement.
The first game of the pair between the Sun Devils and Titans saw an early stoppage as ASU won 8-0 in six innings of play. However, when the game first started, it shaped up to be a pitching duel between ASU freshman Allison Royalty and Fullerton senior Sophie Frost.
Royalty was dealing early for the Sun Devils, recording seven strikeouts in the first three innings. After allowing two hits in the first two innings, the freshman did not allow another base runner until the top of the sixth.
“Allison, I thought today, threw tremendously; we didn’t give her a lot of run support early,” Ford said. “She kept working and working, and that is something that is huge for us.”
The lack of run support, credited to Frost’s effective pitching, left the Sun Devils’ offense stalled for the first few innings. The Sun Devils did score early in the second thanks to an error by the 1st baseman from Fullerton, allowing a runner from third to score to give ASU a 1-0 lead. However, that was all the Sun Devils could achieve in the first four innings of play.
“I think [Frost] biggest thing was her ball dropped, and it’s not something we really were used to seeing,” outfielder Jazmine Hill said.
Hill continued about how the Sun Devils needed to stay disciplined at the plate if they were going to make any movement on the offensive end. While Frost’s stats do not pop out with 4.2 innings pitched and only three strikeouts and two walks, she effectively did not allow ASU to get into a groove.
However, even with Frost dealing, the Sun Devils still showed some spurts of offense with a solo home run in the fourth inning from fifth-year player Kindra Hackbarth to extend the ASU lead to 2-0. The homer by Hackbarth is a great sign to see for ASU as the center fielder and First-Team Preseason All-American was experiencing early-season struggles at the plate.
“The main problem was my timing when to step and when not to step,” Hackbarth said. “It’s starting to feel a lot more comfortable.”
Hackbarth would later homer in the second game of the doubleheader, proving once again that she had effectively fixed her timing.
“We sometimes forget that [Hackbarth] is human,” Ford said of her early struggle. “She went back to not being human today.”
After that homer, Frost faced a couple more batters before getting pulled. As soon as the senior exited the contest, ASU’s offense went into hyperdrive. Fullerton’s bullpen loaded up the bases before Senior Denae Chatman hit a grand slam to give ASU the 6-0 lead at the end of the fourth inning.
Maddi Hackbarth would end the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-run double to call for early stoppage 8-0.
The second game of the doubleheader started quickly on the offensive side as both teams scored twice in the first two innings, setting them square with a 2-2 tie. The Sun Devils had sophomore Lindsay Lopez toeing the rubber, who struggled early before dialing in and not allowing another run for the next three innings.
“[Lopez] did a tremendous job battling out there today,” Ford said. “She just did a really good job of pounding the pitch, pounding the zone, and keeping them off balance.”
Coach Ford noted how Fullerton is a free-swinging team, making it hard for Lopez to finish batters off. Even with the pressure from the early runs and frequent hits, Lopez was still able to keep her composure, slowing the Titan’s offense down.
The game was tied till the fourth inning when the Sun Devils allotted two home runs to give them a 5-2 lead. The first was a solo homer by Kindra Hackbarth, and the second one was a two-run shot by sophomore Jazmine Hill, her second of the year.
“The biggest thing is just to make sure I do my job,” Hill said. “If there are runs on, I have to move them, and if not, then do whatever to get on base.”
Hill moved from seventh in the lineup to third since last Thursday because of the substantial offensive impact she has had so far this season. She credits her coaches and their work towards being diverse in where they hit the ball to get better hits.
The fifth-year ASU pitcher Cielo Meza would relieve Lopez in the sixth inning, where she would retire the last six batters to give ASU the 5-2 win over Fullerton.
After the sweep, the Sun Devils remain perfect for the season with a 6-0 record. ASU is on a break until Feb. 26 where they will open the GCU tournament against New Mexico and look to continue its undefeated streak.
