Lopes shut out Sun Devils for second time this season

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

TEMPE — For the second time this season, the GCU Antelopes beat and shut out Arizona State softball.

The Sun Devils (31-15, 11-7 Big 12 Conference) could not find any offense against the strong Lopes (34-6, 12-2 WAC) pitching staff all night Tuesday. GCU more than doubled ASU’s hit total, with 12 on the night, on the Lopes’ way to a 4-0 victory.

“Sometimes it happens,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “It’s a round bat and a round ball, and it’s unkind.”

ASU came into the game second in the Big 12 in hits, but could only manage five hits, with three of them coming in the last two innings.

The most pressure on junior righty Taryn Batterton came in the bottom of the third inning, her first inning of 4.2 pitched. Senior utility player AJ Murphy and freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching both singled. Then, freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia walked to load the bases.

Batterton got out of it, though, by getting graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall to ground out to end the inning.

Sophomore righthander Meika Lauppe got the start in the circle for the Sun Devils on Tuesday. She threw a complete game, giving up four earned runs, 12 hits and striking out four GCU hitters.

“(Meika) gave us her best on the mound. As she always does,” Bartlett said. “We certainly did not provide enough offensive firepower behind her.”

Her start was not bad by any means, as she was able to get herself out of the jams created by the 12 hits given up.

“Just knowing that if the defense isn’t getting it done, Meika’s got them in the circle,” Murphy said.

One aspect of the game that worked well for ASU was its defense.

The Sun Devils flashed some leather against the Lopes with a diving catch from junior outfielder Tanya Windle and a near-home run robbery from junior outfielder Yannixa Acuña.

Freshman lefthander Oakley Vickers got the start for the Lopes, going 2.0 innings and striking out one batter. Senior pitcher Meghan Golden came in for the final out of the game and was credited with the save after striking out Ho-Ching.

The most frustrating part of the night for the ASU bats was that they were not quiet. Of the Sun Devils’ 25 outs, only two were strikeouts.

GCU’s pitching produced nine flyouts and nine groundouts against Sun Devil hitters. The GCU defense stayed strong and did not give up a single error.

The last time ASU faced GCU, the Lopes shut ASU out 3-0 in Phoenix. The Lopes have now swept the season series and move to 4-2 on the all-time series.

ASU will continue its final homestand at Farrington Stadium this season with a three-game set against the Baylor Bears starting Thursday.