Entering the postseason, many believed junior pitchers Dallas Escobedo and Mackenzie Popescue would alternate starts.
In the regular season, that’s what they did, but after three consecutive dominant starts in the postseason, Escobedo is not letting ASU coach Clint Myers take her out.
In her last 31 and two-thirds innings, dating back to the regular season, Escobedo hasn’t given up an earned run.
Over that stretch, Escobedo has allowed five hits, two unearned runs, six walks, while striking out 36 hitters.
She entered the postseason with question marks about her high home-run rate, especially considering the No. 2 home run hitting team in the country was coming to the Tempe regional.
Instead, Escobedo shut out Georgia (40-21) in back-to-back starts. Only one Bulldog runner reached second base in the two games.
“There was questions through the course of the year about Dallas,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. I think she’s answered them.”
Everyone was wondering what has been the biggest difference with Escobedo now vs. the regular season.
Sophomore catcher Amber Freeman said the difference with her battery mate has boiled down to location, location and location.
“They’ve been having a lot tougher bullpens where coach is down their making sure they hit their spots,” Freeman said.
“They’ve been doing a drill where we have a net with a hole in it and they (pitchers) have to make it in the net a certain amount of times, and if they don’t, they have to run, so I think that’s why she’s having more control on the mound and hitting her spots so well.”
Escobedo is a rise-ball pitcher. If she misses her pitch in the strike zone, it has a high probability of leaving the park.
“I attribute it to the hard work, the extra sprints she’s doing, the (bull)pen (sessions) she’s just locking in and committing to,” Myers said. “This lady works really, really hard. She makes it look real easy out there.”
In the regional final against Georgia, ASU (48-10) quickly backed Escobedo. Junior outfielder Alix Johnson walked, and then stole second to lead off the game.
After an out was recorded, Freeman and sophomore third baseman Haley Steele hit back-to-back doubles, putting ASU up front 2-0.
With the way Escobedo has been pitching lately, two runs of support proved plenty. The Bulldogs put a runner in scoring position once against Escobedo, but she struck out the next two hitters to get out of the jam.
Georgia freshman pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson was lifted after one inning, allowing the two runs.
Bulldogs junior pitcher Morgan Montemayor came out of the bullpen and tossed six scoreless innings of relief against the powerful ASU lineup.
In last night’s elimination win against San Diego State, Montemayor pitched a complete game for the win.
Should she have gotten the start for Georgia?
“The hindsight is 20-20, I’m absolutely proud of her performance when she came in,” Georgia coach Lu Harris-Champer said.
Up Next
Fifth-seeded ASU will take on No. 12 seeded Kentucky (41-19) in the Super Regional in Tempe beginning with Game 1 on May 26 at 7 p.m.
ASU defeated the Wildcats in the first week of the season, 8-1 in Tempe. Escobedo threw a complete game 5-hitter and allowed one run in ASU’s victory in February.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
