(Photo via Sam Polgreen/WCSN)
TEMPE — The Sun Devils entered Saturday looking for a sweep of the weekend after two wins Friday night, but they fell short of that goal. The first game started with a surplus of offense, as the later half became a defensive battle. The second game was a tough pill for the ASU offense to swallow, but the defensive performance received a lot of praise in the dugout.
“The pitching staff really relies on the defense so it’s really good going into games knowing they have your back,” senior pitcher Deborah Jones said. “It does a lot for our confidence when we know they have our back and we try to do the same for them.”
The Sun Devils (14–6) went back and forth with North Florida (9–9) in the beginning of the first game, ending the third inning in a 5–5 tie. An RBI triple in the fourth by graduate right fielder Audrey LeClair proved to be the winning run, and ASU secured the 6–5 win. A clutch stop in the infield by freshman second baseman Libby Walsh ended the game, as she threw out senior outfielder Madisyn Frederico trying to advance home on an infield single to end the game.
“Every week (Libby) gets a little more sure of herself on defense,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “She’s taking some really nice hacks at the plate, so we’re excited for her.”
The Ospreys put up four quick runs in the second inning after both teams were held scoreless in the first, which put pressure on the Sun Devils to come back with some offense of their own.
Sophomore first baseman Shannon Cunningham answered the call and cut the Osprey’s lead in half with a two-run homer to enter the third down 4–2. The Ospreys showed no concern, putting up another run in the fourth to extend their lead.
After going a combined 5–5 in her return to the starting lineup Friday, graduate designated player Jordyn VanHook continued her hot streak with a three-run blast in the third inning to tie the game up at five.
“(Jordyn) is such a great person and to have her back on the field doing the damage that she does is huge,” sophomore right fielder Tanya Windle said. “She’s getting healthier every day, and it’s a big deal for us that she’s back.”
The Devils went through four pitchers to complete the game, starting senior right-handed pitcher Mac Osborne in the circle, and putting in sophomore right-hander Kylee Magee to end the game and earn her first save of the year.
The second game against Omaha (13–7) was similar to the end of the first game, with both pitchers putting up strong performances.
Magee got the start in the second game against Omaha but was pulled early in the first inning after two straight walks to begin the game. Magee is still battling a wrist injury she suffered earlier in the year and is trying to get back to full strength before taking on Washington next week.
“(Kylee) is a tough kid,” Bartlett said. “She’s a competitor and she’ll figure it out, but we’re certainly going to need her in conference play.”
Osborne made her second appearance of the night, this time in relief. In five innings, she allowed two runs but only three hits. The pitching staff managed to keep the Devils competitive for most of the game, and Jones entered in relief for both of Saturday night’s games to keep ASU in striking distance.
“(Deborah) has the luxury of working with (assistant coach Jeremy Manley) the longest, and she pitches to a plan really well,” Bartlett said. “She can go up, down and move through speeds really well. The nice part about our pitching staff is that they love and trust each other, which is huge.”
For Omaha, freshman righty Kamryn Meyer started the game and proved why she leads her team in ERA at 2.68. She pitched a complete game and finished with 10 strikeouts while giving up just six hits.
“We got too passive early in the count and then were chasing (Meyer’s) best pitch,” Bartlett said. “If you’re going to score runs on a pitcher like that, you’re going to have to take every hack and every opportunity she gives you.”
Omaha had the only multi-run inning of the whole game in the second. They opened the scoring with an RBI triple from sophomore center fielder Marra Cramer. Freshman second baseman Lynsey Tucker brought Cramer home in the very next at-bat to put the Mavericks up 2-0.
The Sun Devils answered quickly in the third with an RBI triple from Windle, but their bats ran out of fumes from that point on.
The Mavericks added an insurance run in the sixth to make it 3–1 game, where it would stay. Meyer pitched her fourth complete game of the season and picked up her eighth win.
Two different games were played by the Sun Devils, but both games had positive takeaways to help prepare ASU for their first road trip of the season against No. 8 Washington next week.
“We have to let that second game go, and the momentum that we built for us this weekend was huge,” Windle said. “I think moving forward we can do some serious damage next weekend,” Windle said.
