Sun Devils take down Penn State behind Popescue’s strong performance

(Photo:Josh Frons)

For the third time in four games, the No. 7 Arizona State Sun Devils won by way of the mercy rule, this time in a 9-1 victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

ASU had a sloppy start to the game, allowing a triple from Penn State sophomore Lexi Knief when a ball dropped between senior outfielders Alix Johnson and Bailey Wigness.

Freshman second baseman Chelsea Gonzales bobbled the ensuing grounder  which allowed Knief to score and charged Gonzales with an error.

“The big thing is finding ways to win and finding ways to get the job done,” ASU head coach Craig Nicholson said. “We’ve absolutely done that and more.”

Senior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue recovered quickly, forcing the next two Nittany Lion batters to ground out to get out of the inning. In her second start of the season, the righty went all six innings without allowing an earned run. She also forced nine groundouts by Nittany Lion hitters.

“Mack has this alter ego, I would say, and I love it,” junior catcher Amber Freeman said. “She makes herself known even though she’s not very tall, so she has a big presence and I think that’s why she makes other people fear her.”

“Whenever the score is 0-0, or the other team isn’t scoring at all, it just gives us that much more confidence to swing at those big, fat pitches that we like to hit,” Johnson said. “It gives us all a lot more confidence when our pitchers are doing well.”

The Sun Devils leveled the score in the bottom of the inning after a double from junior third baseman Haley Steele brought home senior shortstop Cheyenne Coyle.

ASU stretched its lead to 5-1 in the second inning after a Coyle sac fly brought Gonzales home. Johnson then cleared the bases with a three-run home run, her first of the year.

Johnson finished her night 2-3 with a double to go along with her home run, and added four RBI.

After early mishaps, ASU’s defense picked up across the board. Several Sun Devils made great plays to help Popescue, including a diving catch from Wigness in the second inning.

“I truly believe we have the best defense in the country,” Popescue said.

Offensively, Amber Freeman continued to be the steady, solid presence in the middle of the lineup, going 3-4 with an RBI.

“We’ve been waiting for this since fall, since August,” Freeman said. “We’ve been working hard. We’re excited to be back on the field and do what we do.”

In the fourth inning, a foul ball from junior outfielder Elizabeth Caporuscio struck Popescue on the wrist, but the pitcher returned to the circle in the ensuing inning. Popescue did admit to some soreness, but also said that she should be okay.

ASU will close out the weekend with a Sunday double-header, first against the Fresno State Bulldogs at 11:30 a.m., and concluding with UC Riverside at 2 p.m.

“Tonight we got down a run early, and we just stayed composed and just played the game,” Arizona State head coach Craig Nicholson said. “That will help us in the future, for sure.”

You can reach Zac Pacleb on Twitter @ZacPacleb or via email at zacpacleb@gmail.com

 

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