Sun Devils bounce back after deflating loss to No. 3 Florida

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

TEMPE — After a frustrating performance to open Friday’s doubleheader, graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall’s home run ignited Arizona State softball’s offense. Coming in the third inning, Hall’s homer into center field also scored freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching.

The Sun Devils (8-5) never trailed the rest of the game as they won 8-1 against the Cal Baptist Lancers (5-9), following a 9-1 loss against the No. 3 Florida Gators (15-1) earlier on Friday.

“I’m personally trying to value quality at-bats, quality of my process, so sometimes it doesn’t show up in the results,” Hall said. “This game it got to, and that was just the start. The team did absolutely phenomenal after that.”

ASU followed up Hall’s home run with a six-run sixth inning. Eight total hits and a hit-by-pitch led to the Sun Devils putting the game out of reach for the Lancers. They also stole five bases in the sixth inning alone, compared to only three through twelve innings of softball earlier that day.

“We were just trying to cause some chaos, use our wheels a little bit,” ASU softball head coach Megan Bartlett said. “We’re pushing (the team) hard on understanding how to put pressure on defenses and manufacture runs.”

The five stolen bases came in five consecutive at-bats, under extremely similar conditions. Each started with a single before the baserunner stole second base. This helped the Sun Devils “manufacture” runs, as each single quickly moved a runner into scoring position.

The eight-run performance was a welcome sight after losing to Florida in game one on Friday. Going up against sophomore right-hander Keagan Rothrock, the 2024 SEC Freshman of the year, the Sun Devils struggled to get on base. Through the opening five innings, ASU only tallied two hits. Despite the lack of hits, the Sun Devils left five runners on base through the opening three frames, when the game was still in reach.

“I keep trying to describe it as loud outs,” Bartlett said. “When you’re in games like that with runners in scoring position, you don’t need to be perfect, but you have got to force people”

One of the “loud outs” mentioned by Bartlett, came in the first inning, with freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia in the box. Hall and Ho-Ching were both in scoring position, but Mejia struck out to end the inning. In the very next inning, the Gators scored two runs, never stepping off the gas pedal as they scored nine runs in total.

“We could have punched harder than probably (Florida) were punching,” Hall said. “We didn’t capitalize on it … we need to learn to step up on those times.”

In the circle, an excellent performance by sophomore right-hander Meika Lauppe also helped push ASU over the line against Cal Baptist. Despite only pitching four innings, Lauppe’s start was impressive, as she had three consecutive 1-2-3 innings, before being taken out for senior right-hander Kenzie Brown.

In that Florida game, two freshman right-handers got the Sun Devils through the seven innings; Cambree Creager and Julianne Tipton. Creager looked sharp at times, but a few mistakes by her mixed with a few untimely mistakes by the defense, led to her giving up five runs, with four being earned.

Tipton relieved Creager in the fifth inning and looked sharp through her first two frames, sitting down the first six batters she faced. However, a rough seventh inning saw the Gators add four more runs to their lead.

Next for the Sun Devils, they take on Portland State on Saturday, and New Mexico State on Sunday.

“We don’t have to dwell on a loss,” Lauppe said. “We’re able to come back out and we’re able to pick each other up and keep this momentum going in the rest of the weekend.”