Big swings in Sun Devils’ win over Utah Valley fixed small mistakes

(Photo credit: Bryan Ross/WCSN)

TEMPE — There finally seemed to be life from the crowd watching Arizona State softball at Farrington Stadium in the bottom of the sixth. Freshman catcher Lillian Holtje stepped up to the plate and sent a nuke deep to left. The solo shot gave ASU a 4-3 lead right after freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia tied the game with a three-run homer of her own in the previous at-bat.

“I was looking for exactly what (the Utah Valley pitcher) threw at me,” Mejia said. “Inside and fat.”

The Sun Devils’ (7-3) 4-3 win over Utah Valley (2-8) concluded their 2025 Littlewood Classic, ending the four-day slate 4-2. The back-to-back home runs could not have come at a better time for the Sun Devils, as they had gone 0-for-10 with runners on until the impact inning.

“I feel like (the home run) really moved the momentum,” Mejia said. “I feel like we had flat energy the whole game trying to find something to get us up. I feel like that’s something that really led us to the win.”

On Saturday against Washington, the Sun Devils used lineup depth to their advantage. They scored four runs across three innings, all through singles and sacrifices. ASU ended with seven hits and got the win with small ball.

Sunday was much different, as ASU failed to convert time and time again. ASU ended 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-5 with runners on with two outs. The small mistakes were consistent after a failed double steal attempt in the first inning.

Graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall baited the Wolverines as she started to head to second base. Utah Valley senior catcher Rachael Brown made a throw across the diamond, which allowed Sun Devil junior outfielder Tanya Windle to take off for the plate. However, Hall ran back too quickly, letting the Wolverines make another throw and get Windle out at the plate.

The base running errors piled on after freshman infielder Grace Molitor also got thrown out at home in the third inning. Freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching sent a dribbler to the right side of the infield, and Molitor just could not make it the full 60 feet from third base.

It was not only the offense for ASU that had its moments. Freshman right-hander Cambree Creager started the second inning by walking Utah Valley redshirt senior infielder Megan Gibbs.

Things almost went south quickly after a double down the left field line scored Gibbs. However, the first base umpire ruled she left the bag early, calling Gibbs out. The Wolverines made up for it, executing on three straight singles to gain a 1-0 lead.

A team mound visit did not seem to help Creager gain her control, as she hit a Wolverine just two batters later. The hit-by-pitch loaded to bases for Utah Valley.

Sophomore left fielder Nehanda Lewis just barely missed a diving play on a short line drive. The single tacked on two more runs for the Wolverines, which was the end of Creager’s day.

Issues continued for the Sun Devil defense with a rough start to the third inning. A simple ground ball to Molitor at shortstop was bobbled. Trying to recover quickly, Molitor made a wide throw to first, resulting in a throwing error. The first base umpire initially called the Wolverine runner out. However, that call was overturned by the ump at home, who said junior infielder Ayden Allen was off of the first base bag. The error was Molitor’s ninth of the year.

Despite the mistakes, freshman right-hander Julianne Tipton’s performance helped the Sun Devils rebound defensively. Tipton came in to relieve Creager in the second inning and put on the best performance of her young college career.

Entering Sunday, Tipton had thrown seven total innings and allowed 11 earned runs. Her day against Utah Valley was far different, going 4.2 innings, her longest outing of the year, while only allowing one hit. She also sat down two Wolverines by strikeouts.

“I think college ball is hard,” Tipton said. “For me, it was about getting as comfortable as I can. … My first two performances was pure nerves. I don’t remember a lot of it. … Now, I feel like my blood pressure is probably normal when I’m out there.”