The No. 18 ASU softball team will battle for the Territorial Cup starting Friday in a three-game series against rival Arizona at their home field in Tempe.
The Sun Devils fought hard in the pre-conference schedule, going 21-7 overall. This placed them in the No. 4 spot in the Pac-12 pre-conference standings. The Wildcats follow right behind at the No. 5 spot with a pre-conference record of 18-8.
Although both teams hold impressive pre-conference records, they run into struggles when facing Top 25 teams. The Wildcats' record against top 25 opponents is 3-5, whereas the Sun Devils hold a 2-4 record.
When it comes to the matchup between these two teams, Arizona has all the bragging rights. UA holds a 90-50-1 record against ASU dating back to 1982. However, in recent years, the Sun Devils have dominated and won the past 11 of 14 games faced against Arizona.
On defense, ASU sophomore pitchers Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak have a year of experience against the Wildcats offense. The duo faced Arizona last year in a competitive battle in Tucson and took the series 2-1.
ASU pitching has been focusing these last couple of weeks on consistency and fighting to the finish. The Sun Devils pitching trio has a combined ERA of 2.73, with redshirt junior Kelsey Kessler boasting the lowest ERA of the three (2.00).
In recent games, co-interim head coach Letty Olivarez has split up the pitching duties between the trio.
“We like to throw together the best combination of the three,” said Olivarez. “But overall, we want to do whatever it takes to win.”
Arizona’s pitching squad holds a slightly lower ERA of 2.30. Redshirt junior Danielle O’Toole is the ace for the Wildcats, pitching a total of 81.0 innings and striking out a total 86 batters.
The Wildcat offense has a combined batting average of .321, with junior second baseman Mo Mercado leading the bats with a .442 average, knocking in 25 RBIs. Junior right fielder Katiyana Mauga leads the team to nine home runs, out of a team combined of 33.
ASU’s offensive lineup poses some threats to the Wildcats. The team is led by two lower classmen players: freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra and sophomore right fielder Nichole Chilson. Becerra holds the highest batting average at .457 and Chilson follows behind with a .429 average.
Leading the team in blasts is junior shortstop Chelsea Gonzales, who has knocked seven homers over the fence. Gonzales is also tied with senior second baseman Nikki Girard in RBIs at 25 each.
Girard says the team is excited to crack open conference play, especially against Arizona.
“Starting Pac-12 is like starting a whole new season for us,” said Girard. “We’re coming in ready to work hard.”
Related links:
ASU softball's Breanna Macha works to perfect her pitching through new techniques
ASU softball unable to pick up win on Sunday
Reach the reporter at lmbrunet@asu.edu or follow @Leah_brunette on Twitter.
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