Game 1 b- ASU junior Alexis Cooper pitches against San Diego, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Farrington Stadium in Tempe. The Sun Devils lost to the Toreros 5-3. (Krista Tillman/ The State Press)
Day two of the Kajikawa Classic made for a number of storylines for the No. 16-ranked ASU softball team on Friday as it went 1-1 in yet another doubleheader.
Game one of two featured the Sun Devils (3-1) against the University of San Diego Toreros (2-0). USD defeated ASU 5-3 in a game that started extremely slow offensively for both squads.
USD didn't have a hit until the fifth inning when sophomore designated hitter Lauren King sent a solo shot into right field. That inning brought three runs in for the Toreros, providing enough separation to put the Sun Devils in a difficult situation. The USD lead extended even further with two outs in the seventh as freshman Kailey Hill provided a 2-run homer of her own.
King did more than just supply the necessary offensive firepower that propelled her team to victory –– she pitched the complete game for the Toreros and gave up only four hits before the comeback attempt by ASU in the final inning.
Junior Alexis Cooper got the start in the circle for the Sun Devils, and the often overshadowed pitcher showed her stuff early against San Diego, going four innings without allowing a hit.
The fifth inning proved to be a challenge for Cooper, however, as she gave up four hits and three runs. After doing so, Cooper was pulled in favor of freshman Dale Ryndak, who closed out the game for ASU.
Facing a 5-0 deficit going into the final frame, ASU fought back with a solo homer from Bethany Kemp and a 2 RBI single from Haley Steele, but it was all for naught as senior catcher Amber Freeman and Chelsea Gonzales failed to cash in with two runners on base while Sashel Palacios grounded out to end it.
ASU coach Craig Nicholson hopes his team can avoid starting complacent in future games.
"We can't let 12 outs go by before we decide we're ready to play," Nicholson said.
Freeman saw the same type of complacent start.
"We can't let teams hang around," Freeman said. "Throughout the game we gave them hope. I think their mentality was that they could play with us, when in reality they shouldn't be able to."
ASU senior Bethany Kemp hits a home run against Ole Miss, Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 at Farrington Stadium in Tempe. The Sun Devils won against the Rebels 6-3. (Krista Tillman/ The State Press)
Game two pitted the Sun Devils against the Ole Miss Rebels (1-2) out of the SEC conference.
In the circle in this game for the Sun Devils was freshman Breanna Macha, who notched her second collegiate win in as many nights after pitching a complete game and not allowing a run through five innings.
Macha elaborated on her second start as a Sun Devil.
"My mentality is to just attack, and I think I even did that a little bit too much (today)," Macha said. "I'd give myself a C. We got the win still, but I'd give it a C."
Kemp continued her offensive reign between the two games, hitting a second home run against the Rebels, this time bringing home two of her teammates and giving ASU a 3-0 advantage.
Kemp focuses on putting in more work than necessary to achieve her goals.
"It's all about doing extra and whatever you can do outside of practice and on your own," Kemp said.
In the top of the sixth inning Madi Osias of Ole Miss hit a ball deep to right field and over the back fence –– the umpires called it a home run. After viewing instant replay from in-house cameras, it was very clear that the ball was foul by a considerable margin. Nicholson was livid after the play, and rightfully so given the gravity of the situation.
"I thought it was a foul. I know my angle's not great, but a lot of people in the stands thought it was a foul too," Nicholson said.
The Sun Devils opened the lead back up later, though, as senior outfielder Elizabeth Caporuscio brought in three runs on an error in the outfield by Ole Miss. Soon after, Ole Miss coach Mike Smith was ejected from the game after confronting the umpire, refusing to leave the field long after he was thrown out.
What started as a difficult day for Freeman (0-4 against San Diego) turned positive against the Rebels as she went 2-3 with a walk.
Freeman evaluated the day's games for her team and saw plenty of room for improvement.
"We have to be one of those teams that's scrappy and always putting the pressure on," Freeman said. "We can't take a pitch off, we can't take an at-bat off, we can't take an inning off."
The next game for the Sun Devils will be against Indiana at 7 p.m. Saturday in the fifth game of seven in the Kajikawa Classic.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or on Twitter @RClarkeASU.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepresssport on Twitter.
