OKLAHOMA CITY — When it was all over, the ASU softball team shed tears while reminiscing of a successful regular season that turned haywire once the Sun Devils reached the Women’s College World Series.
Uncontrollable circumstances could only delay the ASU’s elimination for so long.
When ASU (50-12) finally stepped onto the field, junior pitcher Dallas Escobedo struggled with her command, and the offense disappeared in a 2-0 shutout loss to Michigan (51-12), ending the Sun Devils' season after dropping both games in Oklahoma City.
For an ASU team that needing to win four consecutive games just to advance to the championship series, Escobedo wasn’t sharp enough to keep the Sun Devils alive. Her first seven pitches of the night were balls and she also hit a batter in the first inning.
In the third, she walked three hitters, gave up two hits, including the game’s only runs, a go-ahead two-run homer from Michigan freshman shortstop Sierra Romero.
“I was very anxious out there,” Escobedo said. “I feel like I was trying too hard to put it in the zone when I should’ve just did what I’ve been doing all season. It wasn’t me.”
Junior pitcher Mackenzie Popescue replaced Escobedo in a pickle with the bases loaded that inning, and she escaped the jam.
Popescue pitched out of trouble and kept ASU in the ballgame with 4.2 innings of scoreless relief.
“I have ‘Wild Thing’ written on my glove,” Popescue said. “When I’m out there, I am Rick Vaughn. I believe I am. I live for those moments to come into tight situations.”
The offense couldn’t back up Popescue, and they squandered a multitude of opportunities with runners on base.
Sophomore third baseman Haley Steele grounded out to second with the bases loaded in the third.
In the fifth, sophomore catcher Amber Freeman, the 2013 Pac-12 Player of the Year, grounded into a 5-2-3 double play with the bases loaded and nobody out.
Michigan intentionally walked Steele to get to sophomore first baseman Bethany Kemp, who mired in a 4-for-29 slump. Kemp struck out, leaving the bases full of Sun Devils yet again.
“No excuses,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “We didn’t get the job done. We haven’t made an excuse all year long. We know the secret for winning ballgames — good pitching, good defense and timely hitting. … We had people in scoring position and couldn’t get it done.”
Despite the blundered scoring chances, the Sun Devils thought they were very close to breaking through off sophomore Wolverines pitcher Sara Driesenga.
“It sucks because we were inches away,” Freeman said. “Inches to the left or to the right, it would’ve been a base hit. It just sucks right now, especially going two-and-cue this season. … Seeing the seniors cry and knowing that it was their last game as a Sun Devil, it makes me sad, too.”
Start delayed
Friday’s tornadoes postponed the game into the evening, and a 15-inning marathon preceding ASU’s contest pushed the Sun Devils' elimination game to an 11:54 p.m. CT first pitch. The game ended around 2:30 a.m. local time.
“We wouldn’t have envisioned that you’re going to have a 15-inning game before you play,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “We went and warmed up, and we watched a doubleheader.”
Reach the reporter at Justin.Janssen@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @jjanssen11
