(Photo: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)
TEMPE – Going into the top of the sixth inning, nearly all glimpses of hope were lost for No. 3 Oklahoma. Arizona State senior pitcher Kenzie Brown was having another unforgettable performance, striking out batters up and down the order.
Until one swing of the bat changed the game.
Oklahoma freshman catcher Kendall Wells stepped into the batter’s box after starting the night 0-for-2 with two pop-outs to shallow infield. She left the box a hero, as she drilled a pitch into deep left center field for a two-run home run, silencing the record-breaking crowd of 2,373 at Farrington Stadium.
ASU (1-1) played its second game of opening day, but fell short 2-1 to the Oklahoma Sooners (1-0), on Thursday night. While the Sun Devils left with a loss in their records, they also left with confidence after going toe-to-toe with one of the most iconic programs in the NCAA.
“(I’m) certainly not hanging my hat on moral victories,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “But, you know, Oklahoma is tremendous, and we were right there with them.”
Brown finished the contest with 13 total strikeouts, adding only four walks. The impressive feat is the third-most strikeouts in a game for the experienced pitcher, cementing that her impressive run from last season, which earned her an All-American nomination, has continued.
Numerous times throughout the game, Brown would hype up her dugout with yells and celebrations every time she struck out an opposing batter. The momentum from the preseason all-Big 12 selection carried the Sun Devils to a shutout until the sixth inning.
“Honestly, I was just rolling with what was working tonight,” Brown said. “My rise was working really well. So I was just sticking with what was working. It worked in my favor for the most part.”
ASU scored first in the bottom of the third inning. Senior outfielder and first-year Sun Devil Kaylee Pond hit a solo home run to right field—the team’s only hit of the game and a highlight that briefly gave them momentum.
Pond also had a loud flyout to center field, just mere inches away from being her second home run of the game. The Cal transfer gave the Sun Devils the early lead and provided a sparkplug role in the dugout, coming up with chants in the dugout and shouting words with her teammates.
“I mean, I’m a pretty passionate player,” Pond said about her personality. “We’re hitting a round ball with a round bat; you sometimes just miss. And I just wanted to reiterate to the team, ‘we’re seeing her (Oklahoma’s pitcher), you know.’”
On the other end, OU sophomore left-hander Audrey Lowry also had a remarkable outing in the contest. The lefty finished the contest with only two strikeouts, but only one earned run and one hit in her 5.2 innings of work.
Except for the game-winning home run, Oklahoma mustered only four total hits all game. The key extra base hit—a double by senior outfielder Abby Dayton—set up the Sooners’ late rally. Dayton finished with two hits, contributing to their comeback.
Oklahoma struggled to get going early, conceding 10 strikeouts in the first five innings. The Sooners took advantage of free passes to the basepads, though, recording four walks and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.
“If they (ASU) didn’t just figure out that they hung right in with a team that’s going to have the ability to play in a national final,” Bartlett said. “So that’s my message in the post-game. Was just, ‘keep your heads up.’”
ASU will continue the annual Kajikawa Classic at Club Farmington on Friday, Feb 6, against Texas State at 6:15 p.m.. The team will be hoping to bounce back and clinch a winning record before the tournament comes to a close.
“You’ve been preparing yourself all week,” Pond said. “We didn’t just focus on Oklahoma; all of the rest of the tournament, there are some competitive teams.”
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