As illustrious of a career junior pitcher Dallas Escobedo has enjoyed with the ASU softball program, she may be pitching her best softball right now.
Escobedo, the ace on ASU’s pitching staff, threw a one-hit shutout in the team’s 2-0 win over Georgia to help the Sun Devils (47-10) advance into the regional final.
Escobedo’s one-hitter comes on the heels of her no-hitter in the postseason’s opening game, the first postseason no-hitter program history, in a 5-2 win over San Jose State.
In her last four appearances, lasting 20 innings, Escobedo allowed one hit. In her the last 24 and two-thirds innings, she has given up two hits and no earned runs.
Escobedo’s performance against Georgia was particularly dominant considering the Bulldogs’ powerful lineup. Georgia (39-20) entered the regional tied for second in home runs and eighth in batting average.
“Yesterday I didn’t feel as great as I did today,” Escobedo said. “I was throwing harder (today), I had a better bullpen warming up and I just felt more locked in.”
Escobedo also had to battle the umpires, who called her for four illegal pitches in the two games. Traditionally, umpires call more illegal pitches in the postseason, while calling them sparingly in the regular season.
In Friday’s affair, San Jose State (42-16) scored two unearned runs on an error by left fielder Elizabeth Caporuscio, who misplayed a fly ball.
The Spartans had runners reach on a walk and a hit batter, both of which came around to score on the error.
Despite the pitching dominance in both games, ASU’s offense was also held under wraps.
“At this stage of the game, you’re not going to get 10, 12 hits; the pitching’s too good and there’s a little more pressure on the hitters than in the regular season,” ASU associate head coach Chuck D’Arcy said.
ASU took the lead in the fifth off a defense miscue against San Jose State. Junior shortstop Cheyenne Coyle reached on an errant throw by senior San Jose State shortstop BranDee Garcia on a grounder. Garcia had enough time to throw out Coyle, but she rushed the throw and the ball airmailed the first baseman.
ASU added two more insurance runs, and held on to win 5-2, advancing in the winner’s bracket to face the Bulldogs.
Against Georgia, ASU’s offense did just enough to back Escobedo’s dominant performance of one hit, one walk, and 11 strikeouts in seven innings.
In the third inning, three consecutive seeing-eye singles with two outs put ASU in the driver’s seat. Junior outfielder Bailey Wigness singled softly to center, and junior outfielder Alix Johnson reached on a bunt. Coyle hit a ball to Georgia senior second baseman Tess Sito with a funky spin. Sito fell down and ball trickled into center field, putting the Sun Devils on the board with a double.
Escobedo’s no-hitter was broken up with two outs in the sixth, when sophomore third baseman Anna Swafford singled on a softly hit ball to Coyle.
Regional final set
ASU will play Georgia in the regional final Sunday at 3 p.m. If ASU loses tomorrow, it will have a second opportunity against the Bulldogs to move on to the Super Regionals.
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
