(Photo: Jake Abele/WCSN)
TEMPE — As Arizona State senior pitcher Kenzie Brown trotted to the circle to pitch against Michigan Friday evening, fans at Farrington Stadium waited to watch another stellar performance from the former All-American as the backbone of her team’s pitching rotation.
However, Brown struggled with her pitches, as well as her health, throughout the game. With multiple stoppages called to allow her to hydrate and rest between pitches, Brown’s day ended earlier than expected after giving up four runs in as many innings.
Brown wasn’t the only Sun Devil feeling drained, as ASU coach Megan Bartlett explained that ASU’s entire pitching staff was not feeling well.
“You know, they have the flu,” Bartlett said. “It’s frustrating because I can’t control time, and the game isn’t going to wait on anybody. So quite literally, the season carries on, and we just have to keep piecing it together as best we can.”
No. 21 Arizona State softball (11-2) kicked off the annual classic, splitting an even 1-1 record in two games played against Michigan (10-2) and Southern Utah (6-7). Battling sickness, the Sun Devils left a chilly home crowd with a 9-8 loss to the Wolverines before responding with an 11-10 nailbiter win over the Thunderbirds.
Despite the cool temperatures in Tempe, ASU’s bats stayed red hot throughout the day. Building on the energy from both games, the Sun Devils finished with a combined seven home runs against the two oppositions, responding to Brown’s cry for help with production.
“You know, this group is feisty,” Bartlett said. “They have a short memory, which they’re going to need. The momentum swings in softball are real, and they happen fast.”
No momentum swing was bigger than junior catcher Emily Schepp’s grand slam against Southern Utah in the bottom of the second inning. Moments earlier, the Sun Devils had gone down 6-1 in the top half of the frame, but after a hit by pitch RBI from senior outfielder Tanya Windle, Schepp answered with the big hit to tie the game 6-6.
“When we pick good pitches, and we get on time, we’re really tough,” Bartlett said. “There’s power up and down our lineup. Almost anybody can leave the yard.”
Bartlett’s saying came true when sophomore infielder Tiare Ho-Ching drilled a bomb to deep center, flipping her bat high in the air right after contact. Coming into the season, Ho-Ching said that her biggest goal was to improve her power hitting.
The former Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection has struggled to get into a rhythm this season, only playing four games before today after being hit by a pitch in the face against Northwestern on Feb. 7. Ho-Ching returned to last year’s form on the home run in the clutchest moments, tying the game at 10 in the bottom of the sixth.
“She’s not the biggest kid in the park,” Bartlett said. “But, she will square balls up, and you will watch them fly. We’re so happy to have her back, that’s for sure.”
While the long ball was the star in both games for the Sun Devils, it was the simple moments and fundamentals of the game that led to the split record.
After tallying four home runs against the Wolverines, including two bombs from Windle and sophomore outfielder Ashleigh Mejia, ASU lost to a single to the right side. In the top of the seventh, freshman infielder Siena Snyder drew a full count walk, then advanced due to a bunt and a wild pitch.
After Snyder advanced all the way to third base, sophomore utility player Madi Ramey lined a single to the right side. The knock put the Wolverines up with one singular frame left.
“Michigan kind of beat us to that punch early on,” Bartlett said. “The game happens like that. Sometimes you’re putting up that many runs. You just truly can’t ask that much more of your offense.”
In the second game against the Thunderbirds, the Sun Devils were on the receiving end of a simple game-winning play. While senior outfielder Kaylee Pond didn’t have the best day at the plate, going 2-for-7 between the two games, she made a play when it counted most.
The Cal transfer watched Windle draw a walk, and Schepp notch another hit. After a Schepp steal, the runners were at second and third, in a prime position to score the game-leading run.
Pond drilled a ball to left field, and it was reeled in, but the speed of Windle gave her a sliding start into home. The Sun Devils took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, and it was a spot for freshman pitcher Mary Peyton Hodge to cap off her impressive day.
Hodge finished her third and fourth appearances with a combined 6 ⅓ innings pitched, nine hits given up, and only three earned runs. The freshman lefty hyped up her dugout and made great infield plays numerous times, proving that even when Brown is down and out, other pitchers can step up in the biggest moments.
“She just continues to battle,” Bartlett said. “She gets better every time we roll her out there.”
Arizona State will continue the Sun Devil Classic with another matchup against Michigan on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. AZT. In the second game on Saturday, ASU will face New Mexico State directly after a matchup with the Wolverines.
Bartlett said her Sun Devils will be hoping for a healthy pitching staff and a continuation of the offensive explosion.
“We (coaches) have to try and dial them back into the next pitch and the next at bat,” Bartlett said. “They’re a motivated group … We’ve got to keep getting wins, so we don’t have to motivate them very much.”
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