Sun Devils come from behind to knock off California

(Photo credit: Grace Johnson/WCSN)

TEMPE — Pinch-hitting for sophomore infielder Nehanda Lewis, freshman catcher Lillian Holtje came to the plate with the Arizona State softball team tied at four a piece with the California Golden Bears. Holtje, in only her fourth career plate appearance, swung on a pitch from California freshman right-handed pitcher Miranda De Nava and rocketed it out of the ballpark to give ASU a 6-4 lead.

Holtje’s home run wasn’t just her first career home run, it was also her first career hit and enough to give the Sun Devils (3-1) the 6-4 win over the Golden Bears (3-2) on Sunday afternoon.

“[Holtje] is an excellent hitter, that’s why she came here,” Sun Devils softball head coach Megan Bartlett said. “To see her step up in such a big moment for her team, [makes me] really excited.”

The key to ASU’s win may have been Holtje’s rocket, but senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown unlocked the door to victory. Brown came into the game immediately under pressure after a rocky third inning for freshman right-handed pitchers Cambree Creager and Julianne Tipton. Creager started the game for the Sun Devils, and opened with two solid innings, giving up only one hit and walking one. However, Creager hit a wall in the third inning, quickly giving up two baserunners.

Tipton came in to replace Creager and loaded the bases after walking one and giving up a single. Tipton then gave up a pair of runs, leaving behind a four-run deficit and two runners on for Brown.

“I am to the point in my career where I don’t feel it as pressure,” Brown said. “I need to save my teammates. I need to help my teammates because I know they would do the same for me.”

Across 4.2 innings of work, Brown faced 13 batters, retiring 13. She did give up a base hit, however the runner was tagged out trying to extend a single into a double. Brown recorded five strikeouts, including two in the seventh inning to seal the game and shut down any chance of a Golden Bear comeback.

This former Pac-12 matchup wasn’t without its fair share of drama. In the fifth inning, a confusing sequence with the bases loaded ended the inning without any runs coming to score. Three straight singles loaded the bases for freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia, who hit a line drive right at California’s left fielder, making the second out of the inning.

Chaos ensued from there as sophomore catcher Samantha Swan advanced from second to third base. Graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall who was already on third didn’t move. As Swan rushed back to second, Hall broke for the plate and made it safely home, but the run didn’t count as the umpire called Swan out before Hall scored.

“One point there was tagging happening. [Swan] didn’t think she got tagged, started running back to second,” Bartlett said. “In the meantime, the home plate umpire thought the base umpire called somebody out of the baseline, he signaled safe, but tried to kill the play at the same time.”

Right before this, ASU was down 4-3 in the fifth inning. Junior outfielder Tanya Windle hit a home run of her own, her second through the first four games of the season. Heading into Sunday’s game, Windle had three hits through her first 17 at-bats.

“All weekend I was chasing a lot of balls that weren’t me,” Windle said. “I wasn’t me in the box the majority of the weekend, but I figured it out in that at-bat.”

Windle’s home run helped to wake up the Sun Devils’ bats that had been stagnant, outside a three-run flurry in the third inning. Starting with a single from Windle, freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching reached first on an error.

ASU made the most of their two lead-off runners reaching base, as Kelsey Hall and Ayden Allen immediately followed up with singles of their own.

This win over the Golden Bears props the Sun Devils up to 3-1, with some difficult opponents coming over the next month, including No. 18 Oregon on Thursday and No. 1 Florida at home.

“A special thing is happening in the clubhouse,” Bartlett said. “That’s a solid program win. Cal is very good, so it’s a good day at the ballpark.”