Behind two home runs from Amber Freeman and five total team home runs, Arizona State (34-3) completed the sweep of Oregon State (23-8) winning 11-0 in five innings Saturday afternoon at Farrington Stadium.
Freeman lined a solo shot over the center field wall in the first inning and another in the bottom of the third inning to make the score 4-0, and the Sun Devils never looked back.
“Coming into today I thought I was struggling at the plate little bit,” Freeman said. “I wasn’t seeing the ball as well as I should have, so I came into today with just a clear mind and told myself to relax in the box.”
ASU then erupted for seven runs in the fourth inning which included three home runs by Sam Parlich, Cheyenne Coyle, and Elizabeth Caporuscio respectively.
“It’s crazy because everybody is just cheering for everybody, it’s hard to describe we’re just motivated,” Parlich said. “We were just getting our timing down better and seeing better pitches.”
Sun Devil ace Dallas Escobedo pitched all five innings only allowing two hits.
“It’s definitely exciting being able to get the sweep in the first home series is outstanding,” Escobedo said. “I think I mixed it up pretty well between my rise, curve, and drop [pitches].”
Escobedo also said she went back and watched her performance in the 2011 College World Series to regain some mental confidence. Against Oregon State, she struck out five batters.
Every ASU batter reached base, and all but two had at least one hit.
“We took better swings at pitches we should be hitting,” ASU head coach Clint Myers said. “It was the first time in a long time where all the elements came together, Dallas pitched phenomenal, we played great defense, we actually had more runs than hits.”
Next up for ASU is a road trip to Stanford. The Sun Devils will play a doubleheader on April 6th at 2p.m. and 4:30 p.m. PT.
Game notes:
With the win, Dallas Escobedo is tied for fourth all-time at ASU in with 79. Amber Freeman now has 11 home runs on the year and 24 for her ASU career. ASU has now hit a home run in nine straight games.
