Clever baserunning propels Sun Devils to Saturday wins

(Photo credit: Zina Garcia/WCSN)

TEMPE — Arizona State softball showcased its intelligence on the basepath with two doubleheader wins Saturday.

The Arizona State Sun Devils (15-5) tallied two more wins in the ASU Invitational after an 11-4 win over the University of Texas at El Paso Miners (10-8) and a 4-1 win over the Utah State Aggies (12-7).

“It’s kind of a complex offensive system,” head coach Megan Bartlett said.

A walk by graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall got the offense started for ASU in the first inning against UTEP. After a single by freshman catcher Lillian Hotlje and a fielder’s choice grounder from junior outfielder Tanya Windle, Hall stood at third base with Windle occupying the other corner.

With two outs in the inning, Windle showed off her wheels and won a row of fans at Farrington Stadium free Chick-fil-A with a stolen bag. Having two runners to scoring position assisted the Sun Devils in getting out to a 2-0 lead after a single from recently returned junior outfielder Yannixa Acuña.

The very next inning, freshman infielders Takyla Davis and Tiare Ho-Ching got themselves on base with a pair of singles. Hall then sent a ball high in the sky just beyond the grass line in right field. Davis took advantage of a sleeping UTEP defense, taking off for third after tagging up. A late throw gave Ho-Ching enough time to make a break for second base. Exactly like the previous inning, good baserunning set up a dangerous scoring chance for ASU, which was capitalized on with a two-RBI single from Holtje.

The story for the remainder of the night was speed for the Sun Devils. With runners on the corners in the third inning, Davis ripped a line drive to the left-center gap. Senior utility player AJ Murphy got all the way around from first to home, which gave ASU a 7-1 lead.

After a Ho-Ching walk, Hall put a ball over UTEP junior right fielder Halle Hogan’s head, getting Ho-Ching all the way to third base from a single. Holtje made it on base with a walk, which brought up Windle with the bases loaded. A ground ball to the right side of the infield to UTEP freshman second baseman Marissa Burchard ended with Holtje getting out on a fielder’s choice. However, Ho-Ching got across the plate with a flash of speed, and Windle reached first base.

“I hope opposing pitchers feel like their heads are kind of spinning off,” Bartlett said.

Against USU, the Sun Devils were once again able to accelerate around the basepath. In the second inning, freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia reached safely on a ground ball toward second base after a fielding error from the Aggies. She did not slow down there, beating the force out at second after Acuña sent a ground ball to Aggies’ senior shortstop Ariel Fifita.

Sophomore catcher Samantha Swan laid down the third grounder in a row for ASU, this one back toward the right side. Mejia did not hesitate, reaching third base, which set her up to score and give the Sun Devils an early 1-0 lead.

Two more doubles carried ASU to the 4-1 win, putting the team on an eight-game win streak. The Sun Devils had seven total extra-base hits on the day, bringing their total up to 32 on the year, excluding home runs. The Sun Devils’ speed has been dangerous for their opponents all season, as they now have 27 stolen bases in just 20 games played.

“We’re going to be aggressive,” Bartlett said. “We’re going to continue to put pressure on teams. (Stealing bases) is a tool in our toolbox, and it’s a really important one.”