Sun Devil offense surges back in win against Baylor

(Photo credit: Joshua Eaton/WCSN)

TEMPE — Freshman infielder Takyla Davis led off the third inning, looking to help get the Sun Devils on the board for the first time in 13 innings. She did just that, driving the ball deep to left-center field, just passing the National Champions sign on the wall at Farrington Stadium.

“(Davis) got into that ball,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “We kind of had the momentum from there on out.”

Freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching and junior outfielder Yannixa Acuña then both used their speed to reach first on balls that stayed in the infield dirt. They kept their speed on display by each advancing a bag off a wild pitch.

ASU continued to convert on small contact, as freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia gave the Sun Devils some insurance with a ground ball toward first base. A soft floater above Baylor senior first baseman Shaylon Govan’s head gave ASU junior outfielder Tanya Windle her 20th RBI on the year and capped off the small ball inning for the Sun Devils, who then held a 3-0 lead.

“I thought we did a nice job tonight,” Bartlett said. “We knew before the game we were gonna have to fly down the line, hustle, be smart on the bases. … We executed really well tonight.”

The Arizona State Sun Devils (32-15, 12-7 Big 12 Conference) took game one in their last homestand of the year with a 5-0 win against the Baylor Bears (21-22, 7-9 Big 12) on Thursday.

With Easter Sunday affecting the weekend softball slate, the series is a Thursday, Friday, Saturday matchup. The early start prompted a quick turnaround for the Sun Devils, who had just gotten shut out for the second time this season against crosstown rival GCU on Tuesday. The short break did not affect the Sun Devils’ offense, as they were able to find their mojo once again.

“(The win) means a lot for us knowing that we need to pull through with these few wins to make it to the postseason,” Davis said.

A large contributor to the win for ASU was senior right-hander Kenzie Brown. Brown went into Thursday night sitting top 10 in the country in ERA and opponent batting average. In addition to those high marks, she is second in the nation in total strikeouts.

Brown ended Thursday with her eighth complete game of the year. Of her 28 game appearances, she has now recorded 14 games with nine or more strikeouts.

“It’s a definite breath of fresh air knowing that we have a pitcher who dominates, so it’s easier on us as a defense,” Davis said.

ASU could clinch a Big 12 Conference Tournament bye with a sweep this weekend against Baylor and an assist with losses from either Oklahoma State or BYU.

“We need to just continue to play the way we’re capable and catch the momentum,” Bartlett said. “They are hyper-aware of the fact they are fighting for a postseason spot right now, not just in the Big 12 Tournament, but to be able to get an at-large (bid) to get to the NCAA Tournament. They are women on a mission right now.”