It was a dramatic Super Regional series from start to finish, and in the end the ASU softball team prevailed.
For the ninth time in program history, the No. 1 Sun Devils (55-6) punched a ticket to the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.
They return to collegiate softball’s biggest stage for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
ASU claimed the first game against Texas A&M 3-2 in dramatic comeback fashion. In Friday’s game two, freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo unleashed seven innings of two-run softball en route to a 4-2 ASU win.
“It’s means a lot to us,” junior shortstop Katelyn Boyd said. “Personally for me, because our seniors are so great. I think a lot of us going into it, you want to do it for ourselves, you want to do it for the program, but we really wanted to do it for the seniors too.”
Thursday night’s opening matchup featured a dynamic pitcher’s duel. Escobedo and Aggie sophomore Mel Dumezich went head-to-head in the circle.
It was Escobedo who stole the show early on.
In her 32nd start of the season, Escobedo struck out the side in each of the game’s first three innings.
The Sun Devils struck in the bottom of the second. Sophomore second baseman Sam Parlich smacked an RBI double to left-centerfield to score pinch runner Kayla Ketchum.
The Aggies soon answered back, as freshman third baseman Amber Garza launched her 10th home run of the year to deep right field in the fourth. Garza’s home run knotted the score at 1-1 and was Texas A&M’s first hit of the game.
The Aggies threatened again in the top of the sixth by drawing a pair of walks.
But Escobedo took control by striking out senior left fielder Kelsey Spittler to end the inning and strike out the side for the fourth time in the game.
One inning later in the top of the seventh, Escobedo wasn’t as fortunate.
Dumezich helped her own cause by crushing a long home run to centerfield. That home run inched the Aggies ahead 2-1.
Despite the deficit, ASU was far from finished.
After Parlich popped out to the catcher to start the inning, pinch hitter Lucy Aubrecht walked.
After junior right fielder Talor Haro flied out in for the second out, Boyd followed with a walk. Senior center fielder Lesley Rogers reached first after being hit by a pitch, loading the bases.
Senior catcher Kaylyn Castillo then provided the walk-off, game-winning hit on a ground ball that scooted past Walker at shortstop.
It was a dramatic ending as the Sun Devils’ celebration began, the Aggies questioned if there was interference on the final play.
“It look like our shortstop had a hard time getting to the ball,” Texas A&M coach Jo Evans said. “Obviously from where I’m sitting, I don’t know for sure if there was contact. I also know that a player can’t intentionally interfere with the play whether there’s contact or not. So it was tough. It’s a tough way to lose a ballgame.”
Despite the Aggies’ protests, the umpiring crew was adamant that there was no interference on the play.
After the thrilling game one, the two teams returned to Farrington Stadium on Friday night. The stage was set for an electric pitching rematch as Dumezich and Escobedo again took to the circle.
Castillo wasted no time in putting the Sun Devils on the board by crushing a two-run home run in the first inning.
“We wanted to attack them right out of the gate,” Castillo said. “I think our whole team was pretty fired up in that, they were probably fired up too but it did the same for us.”
The score remained 2-0 until the ASU bats went to work in the fifth.
With one out and two on, senior first baseman Mandy Urfer singled to left field to load the bases. Parlich then followed suit with an RBI fielder’s choice.
One batter later, freshman designated player Alix Johnson knocked in ASU’s fourth run on a sacrifice fly to center.
The four-run lead was short lived for ASU as a two-run bomb off the bat of sophomore catcher Meagan May in the sixth cut Aggie deficit to just two.
That’s all Escobedo would surrender as she cruised to her 32nd win of the season. In the bottom of the seventh, she retired leadoff pinch hitter Nicole Morgan via a strikeout.
Junior second baseman Natalie Villarreal then flew out to center. After a single by Walker, Escobedo struck out senior first baseman Rhi Kliesing to claim the win and send ASU to Oklahoma.
“When that last batter came up, I knew that I had toyed with her all weekend,” Escobedo said. “I walked her, she popped up or something, so I was like, ‘I have to go right at her, she won’t expect it.’ It all worked out.”
Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu
