Sun Devils rebound after losing doubleheader opener

(Photo credit: Zina Garcia/WCSN)

TEMPE — As junior utility player Sydney Saenz dejectedly walked back to the dugout after grounding out to North Dakota’s junior first baseman Katelyn Nuemayer to end game one of Arizona State softball’s doubleheader, she and the rest of her teammates knew they had to regroup for their next game in 40 minutes.

After an emotional walk-off win the night before that saw ASU defeat Oregon in eight innings, the Sun Devils came out flat in their first game on Friday.

With both teams, scoreless through three innings the North Dakota Fighting Hawks finally broke through in the third to the tune of six runs. Arizona State’s freshman right-handed pitcher Cambree Creager had mowed down the Fighting Hawks’ top of the order with ease through the first couple of frames before everything fell apart.

Creager allowed three of the first four batters to reach base in the third when junior outfielder Brooklyn Morris stepped to the plate and broke the scoreless tie with a single. After that Creager gave up a walk followed by another single, this time by Nuemayer to bring another Hawks run to the dish.

With a sudden 2-0 deficit ASU needed to stop the bleeding if they were going to be able to keep this contest close. That is when the wheels completely busted off. A dribbler to the right side of the infield off the bat of senior infielder Angie Dumalo resulted in a throwing error by ASU junior first baseman Ayden Allen, plating a pair more for the Fighting Hawks.

To make matters worse for the Devils, a single later in the inning also scored two, and just like that North Dakota had blown the doors open in the third with a 6-0 lead.

“It’s a learning experience,” graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall said of the error. “But also, at the same time, kind of when those ‘when it rains and pours’ moments happen, we’re still learning how to stop the rain.”

After ASU couldn’t muster an answer in the bottom half of the third, North Dakota tacked another run on in the fourth, extending their lead to 7-0.

ASU was finally able to erase the goose egg in the bottom of the fourth when junior outfielder Tanya Windle singled to left field to bring sophomore catcher Samantha Swan home.

That would prove to be the Devil’s only run, and with North Dakota plating runs nine and ten in the sixth inning with no retort from ASU, the game ended early due to the mercy rule with a final score of 10-1.

It was a tough game both in the field and at the plate for ASU. When considering the two errors that ASU committed in the field that helped lead to a couple of unearned runs and only six hits on the offensive side it is no mystery why the score was what it was.

After such a demoralizing loss, ASU had just under an hour to flush it and regain composure before the second part of their doubleheader against Weber State.

“We came together,” sophomore infielder Nehanda Lewis said. “We’ve got to buy into each other, and we’ve got to get the job done.”

Whatever the change was between games worked wonders for ASU. The Sun Devils came roaring out of the gates putting up three runs in the first inning with a flurry of singles and sac flies.

The Devils kept their foot on the gas in the second inning, putting up four runs, the exclamation point being a solo home run off the bat of Windle.

ASU continued to cruise from there, putting another run on the scoreboard in the third. The dagger came in the bottom of the fourth. With a couple of runners on, Lewis smashed a ball over the left-center fence to put an exclamation point on an eventual 11-0 victory.

In between games head coach Megan Bartlett had a productive talk with her team which she thinks helped the offense find its spark.

“We had a very colorful talk between games,” Bartlett said. “I was very happy with the response.”

Overall it was a tale of two games for ASU which now sits at 5-2 on the season. All phases struggled for the Devils in game one, but in game two ASU looked like a completely new team both at the plate and in the field.

The Sun Devils have another doubleheader Saturday, with their first matchup coming against the 3-3 Washington Huskies before squaring off against the 3-4 Belmont Bruins, who, like the Devils went 1-1 in their Friday doubleheader.

“All we can do is have them prepared, have them ready,” Bartlett said. “Nobody’s expecting anybody to be perfect that is not the game of baseball or softball, but to just start to withdraw or get timid, those are things we won’t stand for in the program.”