Except for some first-game jitters causing some unease among the crowd early on, the No. 1 ASU softball team thoroughly dominated its first two opponents of the season.
The Sun Devils (2-0) pitching staff stood out, as neither Western Michigan nor San Jose State were able to plate a runner through 13 innings.
With top pitcher sophomore Dallas Escobedo only making a cameo appearance in one inning of the first game, the pressure of starting the season on a strong note fell onto the shoulders of sophomore Mackenzie Popescue and senior Hillary Bach.
Bach had the best night of the duo, allowing only one hit in the team’s closest game, a 4–0 win over San Jose State.
“Hillary pitched a masterpiece,” coach Clint Myers said. “(It was) one of the better games I have seen her pitch in her four years. She commanded well.”
Popescue had nearly as good of a night, escaping a few jams to end the first day of play with a win.
With the pitching as good as it was, it took some time for the Sun Devils’ offense to get going, as the team didn’t look menacing until senior shortstop Katelyn Boyd rocketed a pitch over the left field fence.
“Boyd’s home run really got the team going,” freshman catcher Amber Freeman said.
The home run sparked a four-run third inning, which carried the team to a 10–0 win over Western Michigan.
In that inning both Freeman and senior outfielder Annie Lockwood hit home runs to deep centerfield.
After that inning, the Sun Devils looked a bit more comfortable, especially the three freshmen that started, including Freeman, third baseman Haley Steele and centerfielder Elizabeth Caporuscio.
All contributed to make their first night as Sun Devils a positive one.
“It’s always good to win,” Myers said. “We have a relatively young club. Those freshmen have to learn about themselves and what it’s like to be at Arizona State, to play in front of a thousand people every night. So I’m not disappointed at all.”
Caporuscio had the best night of the three, with a team-leading three RBI in her first game as a Sun Devil. She also had a double in the third inning right after Lockwood homered.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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