(Photo via Sammy Nute/WCSN)
TEMPE — After Thursday’s 10-6 win against the then-undefeated BYU Cougars, ASU softball was faced with a doubleheader Friday against No. 16 Virginia Tech and Illinois State on its second of three days at the Littlewood Classic.
Senior right-hander Deborah Jones made her season debut on the mound for ASU and gave up four early runs in the first inning. The Hokies then added to their lead with solo homers from senior outfielder Addy Greene in the second and freshman infielder Michelle Chatfield in the third to make it 6-0 after the third inning.
After a pair of RBI doubles from the Hokies made it an 8-0 game in the fourth, head coach Megan Bartlett pulled Jones out of the game and replaced her with freshman righty Meika Lauppe. Lauppe immediately gave up a walk and an RBI single but finished the inning strong, as ASU went to the bottom half of the fourth down 9-0.
Virginia Tech junior pitcher Emma Lemley held the red-hot bats of ASU to just two hits in five innings, and earned her first win of the year as the Hokies mercy-ruled the Sun Devils in five innings 9-0 and remained undefeated at 6-0-2.
“(Lemley) is one of the top five pitchers in the country when she’s on,” Bartlett said. “You certainly learn more from losses than from wins.”
Sophomore right-hander Kylee Magee started on the mound for the Devils against the Illinois State Redbirds in ASU’s second game of the day, making her third appearance of the season. After giving up just one hit in the top of the inning, the Devils opened up the scoring with an RBI single from graduate infielder Alesia Denby that put her on third after multiple throwing errors from Illinois State. ASU added one more run after an RBI single from sophomore utility player Shannon Cunningham ended the first inning up 2-0.
After Magee held the Redbirds to another scoreless inning in the second, freshman infielder Libby Walsh hit her first career home run and only her second career hit in the second inning to put ASU up 3-0.
“It felt really good to square up a ball, and I just saw it fly off the bat, and I got really excited,” Walsh said.
A two-run home run from senior catcher Sara Kinch added to the Devils’ lead, making it 5-0 after three innings. Bartlett decided to pull Magee after pitching three innings and allowing only one hit and subbed in senior right-handed pitcher Mac Osborne. Osborne pitched a hitless fourth inning, thanks to sophomore outfielder Yannixa Acuña making a diving grab in left field for the third out.
“Plays like that steal the momentum and just take the wind out of the opponent’s sail, and they just deflate them,” Bartlett said.
After back-to-back singles to start the fifth, Illinois State sophomore left-handed pitcher Hannah Meeks was pulled, and freshman righty Paige McLeod was subbed in. The first batter she faced was graduate utility player Audrey LeClair, pinch-hitting for senior infielder Kayla Lissy. She belted an RBI double on the first pitch she saw to open the Devils’ lead to 6-0.
After sophomore outfielder Tanya Windle reached on a fielder’s choice, Denby hit a double of her own to drive in LeClair and Windle to make it an 8-0 game.
After getting mercy-ruled against Virginia Tech, ASU enforced a mercy rule of its own against Illinois State, ending the night above .500 with a 4-3 record. For the Redbirds, they continue to search for their first win of the season, sitting at 0-7 on the year.
