BATON ROUGE, La. – So much for ASU softball's pitching issues.
Freshman Breanna Macha (18-11) tossed a complete game shutout in a 1-0 win against fifth-seeded LSU (45-12) in Baton Rouge to advance the Sun Devils (36-20) to the region's championship game.
Macha, who allowed 41 home runs in the regular season and had an ERA hovering toward 4.00 entering the postseason, allowed just four hits and one walk in her second complete game in the regional. It was Macha's third complete game shutout of the season, with both other games requiring eight innings to do.
"I always think I can do a little bit better," Macha said. "I think that one walk is still too much, but I'm definitely proud of my team and opening a game like that is awesome."
She rarely had issues navigating LSU's lineup, which possesses both power and speed. In the first, her most vulnerable inning, a walk and bunt single put the first two runners on for the Tigers. A groundout advanced the runners, but Macha struck out LSU third baseman Sahvanna Jaquish (holds the program single-season record in home runs) and got a pop out to end the frame.
Video by Justin Janssen | Sports Reporter
After the first two batters reached, Macha retired 14 consecutive, stretching into the fifth inning after a 46-minute lightning delay. LSU threatened in the sixth and seventh innings, advancing a runner into scoring position both times with one out, but Macha finished both innings off with strikeouts.
LSU coach Beth Torina wasn't sure how Macha was able to slow down her Tigers, who had only been shut out once this season.
"I wish I had an answer on why that happened," Torina said. "I know Breanna (Macha) stayed away from our hitters, but it was something we worked on a majority of the week. We were trying to hit to the opposite field. I'm just unsure right now."
Senior third baseman Haley Steele provided the only offense of the game, hitting an RBI single to left with the bases loaded in the first inning. ASU still left the bases loaded in the frame, in addition to doing so in the fifth. In Friday’s game, the Sun Devils did the same twice before Bethany Kemp’s three-run double powered them.
But that was all the offense ASU needed in this game behind Macha's masterpiece.
"In the first inning, you never think one run is enough," Nicholson said. "But as you get to the fifth and you see what Breanna (Macha) is doing to their hitters... Then, I thought one run had a chance to hold up once we got to that first delay and in that spot."
ASU moves on to face either Texas Southern, Nebraska or LSU on Sunday at 10 a.m. Arizona time with a spot in a Super Regional on the line. ASU gets two cracks at whichever teams it faces, although it had two shots at Michigan last year in a home regional and lost both games.
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu or follow @jjanssen11 on Twitter
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