ASU softball had no trouble in its non-conference finale, winning on run-rule 14-0 against Lehigh (6-7) on Tuesday night in Farrington Stadium to improve to 20-7 on the season.
Freshman pitcher Abby Andersen led the No. 17 Sun Devils from the mound as she recorded another dominant performance.
Andersen (7-3) retired 12 consecutive opponents to start the game, but Lehigh ended her perfect-game bid as it opened the fifth inning with a single. After forcing a pop out on the next at-bat, Andersen sealed the win with back-to-back strikeouts to complete her shutout.
ASU jumpstarted its offense early with four runs, and it did the same in the second inning to take a commanding 8-0 lead against Lehigh. Not much changed in the following innings as sophomore infielder Bella Loomis hit a lead-off double to start the third inning.
Then, junior outfielder Kindra Hackbarth hit a two-run home run to left field on the next at-bat.
After senior outfielder Skylar McCarty followed with a fly out, senior outfielder Morgan Howe answered with an inside-the-park home run.
ASU finished the explosive offensive performance in the fourth inning, adding three more runs to the scoreboard. ASU ended the night with 10 hits, including three from Hackbarth, who finished 3-for-4 and scored four runs, and two doubles from Loomis.
ASU will return to Farrington Stadium this weekend to begin Pac-12 play with a three-game series against Oregon State (16-5). The first game of the series is on Friday, March 15 at 7 p.m. MST.
Reach the reporter at nahiatt@asu.edu or follow @NATE_HIATT on Twitter.
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