Softball

ASU turns gifts into runs in win over UC Riverside

TEMPE — After falling to New Mexico State on Sunday, its second loss in three days, No. 23 Arizona State had to live with the sour taste in its mouth ahead of the ASU Invitational for several days.

Frustrated with their recent play, the Sun Devils displayed immense patience at the plate against UC Riverside, as Passion Pit’s “Take a Walk” blasted over the speakers at Farrington Stadium numerous times. Fans were treated to not only free passes, but also a timely approach that saw ASU pile up run after run off of those gifts.

Despite allowing three untimely free passes by way of walks and errors, ASU released its frustration in a 9-1 mercy-rule victory through five innings over UC Riverside. The Sun Devils were much more opportunistic than the Highlanders, turning four walks and two hit-by-pitches into a plethora of RBI knocks.

One of the loudest and potentially most important of those hits came from sophomore second baseman Tiare Ho-Ching, who smoked a double off the left field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning, triggering the run rule and putting UCR out of its misery.

While Ho-Ching’s offensive success was a common sight, her spot in the batting order was a different story, as one of ASU’s bigger bats found herself in the nine-hole.

While sitting at the bottom of the lineup may see her wind up with fewer opportunities overall, Ho-Ching sees a different kind of opportunity in that spot compared to previous games.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot more pitches in the zone to hit,” Ho-Ching said. “It’s just a matter of if I can get my mojo together.”

The loud contact to end the contest encapsulated the mojo ASU brought to the field, but its offense had no shortage of swagger before the final swing.

The Sun Devils’ corner outfielders brought the power Thursday night, as senior left fielder Tanya Windle and sophomore right fielder Ashleigh Mejia both put a ball over the left center field wall.

Windle’s two-run blast broke the game open in the second inning, putting two more runs on the board and taking advantage of an error to open the inning by Highlanders second baseman Gabriella Garcia, who couldn’t get her glove down on the backhand fast enough to keep the ball out of the outfield.

After several runs were brought in on hits from senior center fielder Kaylee Pond, junior catcher Emily Schepp and senior shortstop Brooklyn Ulrich, ASU’s performance with the bats quickly took over the night.

While the Sun Devils were aggressive in the batter’s box, UCR provided plenty of aid, as four of their nine hits were scored by players who got on base by way of a walk, hit-by-pitch or error.

ASU finished the game hitting 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position, while UCR went 0-for-5 in the same situations, as timely execution became a defining factor in the matchup.

Senior left-handed pitcher Aissa Silva provided plenty of aid in the circle when the Highlanders had scoring threats, working out of a jam in the first and second innings after surrendering leadoff walks in both frames.

Silva had her best stuff when it mattered most, as the southpaw racked up four punchouts in just two innings of work.

“I was very certain that Aissa was pitching well and would be able to get us out of that inning with runners on first and second,” Ulrich said.

Freshman Mary Peyton Hodge piggybacked Silva, throwing the last three innings while only allowing one run on three hits, matching her starter’s strikeout total.

As the Sun Devils look ahead to four games in the next two days, using only a pair of pitchers in five innings is a recipe for keeping arms fresh. With their ace, senior righty Kenzie Brown, receiving another day of rest, her ability to pitch a full game on a moment’s notice remains something head coach Megan Bartlett can save for the weekend.

Both teams will play plenty of softball this weekend in Tempe, but ASU’s start leaves it in a significantly better position, as its 14-3 start continues to impress.

“We have some really good chemistry as a team,” Ulrich said, “we just have to tackle it one day at a time.”