After coming up just one out short of a perfect game against Portland State on Friday, ASU redshirt senior pitcher Cielo Meza was not going to let a no-hit opportunity slip away once again.
Meza started off the game striking out two out of the first three batters and never looked back on her way to 14 strikeouts and a 7-0 win over Seattle on Sunday night.
Heading into the seventh inning, Meza said that she was looking to strikeout the side and not let the ball get into play, and that is exactly what she did.
“I was pretty aware, but I told myself ‘I’m not gonna look at the scoreboard,’” Meza said. “I kept telling myself ‘three strikeouts, three strikeouts’ every inning just to get those outs quickly and get my team back in the dugout to hit.”
ASU head coach Trisha Ford believes that Meza has been able to be so effective this season because of her confidence.
“It’s just her trusting her stuff. Sometimes, she tries to be so precise with her location,” Ford said. “Really C’s best attribute is her spin and her break over the ball.”
Despite her stellar performance, Meza would not have been able to pick up the win if it wasn’t for the Sun Devil offense.
ASU’s offense started off the night hot. After senior center fielder Kindra Hackbarth and junior second basemen Bella Loomis reached base on a single and a walk respectively, senior catcher Maddi Hackbarth got the Sun Devils on the board in the first inning with a two-run double.
Senior designated player Allison Tatnall kept the momentum going as she knocked in two runs with another single up the middle. Then, freshman shortstop Alynah Torres capped the first inning off with a two-run home run, her third of the season.
“I didn’t want to hype myself up and really get into the moment and the crowd,” Torres said. “I just really went into the zone.”
Ford has been very proud of what Torres has done so far this season and sees multiple aspects of her game that are hard for freshmen to develop.
“I don’t know that there’s not much to be impressed by. I think in the box she’s dynamic. She’s going to do big things for us.”
The Sun Devil offense did not stop in the first inning, as they added on runs in the second and sixth innings.
“It was good for our offense to come out on a mission and really play ASU softball,” Ford said. “That was our focus point, what we talked about pregame.”
Despite all of these bright spots, there was one worrying shadow looming over today’s game.
To start the fourth inning, senior outfielder Kindra Hackbarth struck out and appeared to injure her left wrist on her follow through. She was replaced by sophomore left fielder Makenna Harper and would not return to the game.
Regardless of Kindra Hackbarth ‘s status, the Sun Devils will play their final game of the Kajikawa Classic tomorrow against No. 12 Tennessee.
Editor's Note: This story was originally published on Feb. 9. Due to an internal technical error, this story was republished Feb. 10 at 9:12 p.m.
Reach the reporter at cfahrend@asu.edu and follow @chris_drop_ on Twitter.
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