Sun Devils take series in 4-3 victory over

(Photo credit: Nickolas Montei/WCSN)

TEMPE — As hyped up senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown exited the circle, concluding her second dominant outing in three days, everyone knew she had been the biggest key to the Sun Devils’ series victory over Kansas.

Brown has been fantastic all year, but recently, she has especially hit her stride. In Sunday’s 4-3 victory over Kansas, that was apparent.

“She is a workhorse,” graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall said. “She has standards, she has expectations, she has discipline, and she is a huge role model on this team.”

Not only was Brown’s stat line from game three impressive — 7.0 IP, four hits, three earned runs, two walks and 12 strikeouts — but it was her second standout outing in just three days. With her performances this weekend, Brown was the biggest factor in taking two of three from the Jayhawks.

“That kid is a warrior, she is tough,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “Kenzie does special things, not only physically but also mentally and emotionally.”

Her performance in game one was one of the best she has had all year, but her performance in game three was arguably more important for the Sun Devils. After losing Saturday 8-0, the Sun Devils fell back to 7-7 in Big 12 Conference play; however, after Brown’s latest great outing, the Sun Devils are back above .500 in Big 12 play and have an overall record of 26-14.

“Super proud of the girls,” Bartlett said. “They did a nice job of staying present, letting last night go. They showed up this morning ready to fight, that is all we can ask of them.”

The ASU offense also rebounded from its poor performance Saturday thanks to a pair of two-run home runs. Freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia, along with Hall, came through in the first and third innings to score all the runs the Sun Devils needed to win game three.

“I had a plan of that at bat, and I just needed to execute on that plan,” Hall said. “It was really nice to have the team step up in other ways, but it was cool to be the one in that moment.”

Though the Sun Devils were only able to muster six hits in the victory, it was promising to see the power outburst at the top of the lineup that the Sun Devils have been lacking as of late.

“It’s not always a home run,” Hall said. “Still continuing to make the most of what you’re given, work with what you’ve got, softball adaptability. I would say continuing to be there for the team and not just being focused on myself.”

The Sun Devils will now gear up for a five-game road trip this week as they head to UTEP for two games before taking on Big 12 foe Utah for three games. For the Sun Devils, that Utah series will be an opportunity to improve their conference record.

The Utes have struggled in 2025 with a 12-27 overall record and a 4-8 Big 12 record. Not only that, but Utah has lost four in a row heading into the series against ASU.

“We have to continue to find a way to be tough late,” Bartlett said. “We gotta just keep playing how we’re capable, find our way into postseason.”