Stanford — April 23 (W 3-1)
No. 13 ASU softball got back in the win column defeating the Stanford Cardinal 3-1 in the second of a three-game series.
While the game remained scoreless through two innings, the Sun Devils got on the scoreboard in the
third with a two-run bomb from junior Alynah Torres.
Graduate student Bella Loomis returned to the lineup and manufactured a run in the fourth inning with a sacrifice pop fly to put the Sun Devils up 3-0.
Despite the Cardinal’s rally attempt at the end of the game, junior pitcher Lindsay Lopez held on and finished the game with zero earned runs allowed.
This win marked head coach Trisha Ford's 200th victory at the helm for ASU.
Ford looks to get to her 201st win tomorrow as the Sun Devils face the Cardinals at 12:00 p.m. MST tomorrow in the final game of the series.
Stanford — April 22 (L 4-1)
The Sun Devils softball team fell to the Stanford Cardinals 4-1 snapping their 20-game winning streak.
The Sun Devils started the game on a high note when freshman Cydney Sanders tacked on her 15th home run of the season putting the Sun Devils up 1-0 in the first inning.
It was all downhill from there, as the Cardinal scored two runs in the second and two more in the third in route to stun the red hot Sun Devils.
The Sun Devils' bats were nowhere to be found throughout the game. The team only recorded two more hits following the opening inning home run from Sanders.
Prior to this loss, The Sun Devils were on a 20-game winning streak dating back all the way from March.
The Sun Devils look to bounce back tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. MST in the second of a three-game series against the Cardinal.
—Written Remy Mastey, April 22, 10:36 p.m.
Utah — April 16 (W 8-7)
No. 13 ASU softball defeated Utah 8-7 to complete the series sweep and bring its win streak up to 20 games.
Freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders was the main contributor for ASU today, hitting two-for-four with three RBI. Freshman Mac Morgan let up nine hits today with only two earned runs and got the win on the mound.
ASU took a quick lead in the bottom of the 1st with home runs from junior Alynah Torres and Sanders to put the Sun Devils up 3-0.
The game quieted down with a run from Utah in the top of the second to make the score 3-1 and then the Sun Devils scored another run in the bottom of the third to go up 4-1.
The Utes hammered five runs in the top of the fifth, which was quickly acknowledged by ASU who scored four runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 8-6.
Utah from there scored one more run, but it wasn't enough as junior Lindsay Lopez came in for the save and let up no hits in 2 and a half innings to secure the win for the Sun Devils.
The red-hot Sun Devils take on the Stanford Cardinal next for a three-game series on Friday at 6:00 p.m.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, April 16, 2:39 p.m.
Utah — April 15 (W 12-2)
This was much more of a blowout compared to yesterday’s extra-innings win.
ASU came out swinging, scoring nine runs in the first three innings courtesy of two home runs from junior Alynah Torres and three RBI from freshman Cydney Sanders.
Junior Jazmine Hill also joined in the action with two RBI after hitting the walk-off single last night and continuing her tear at the plate this series.
The Sun Devils continued their barrage in the bottom of the fourth with a home run from senior Mailey McLemore to score two more runs, while redshirt freshman Kristiana Watson hit an RBI single shortly after to put ASU up twelve going into the fifth.
Junior pitcher Lindsay Lopez did her job on the mound, limiting the Utes to two runs over five innings with both runs coming in the fifth inning. However, the Utes couldn’t score anymore and the Sun Devils triggered the mercy rule.
ASU looks to complete the three-game series sweep against the Utes tomorrow at noon as the team is still undefeated in Pac-12 conference play.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, April 15, 8:18 p.m.
Utah — April 14 (W 10-9)
No. 13 ASU softball narrowly defeated the Utah Utes 10-9 on Thursday night at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium thanks to a two-RBI walk-off single by junior Jazmine Hill in extra innings.
The game started off like usual for the Sun Devils. Senior Makenna Harper hit a grand slam in the first inning to push the score to 5-0 going into the second.
The Sun Devils didn’t score for four innings straight, while the Utes couldn’t make anything happen until the top of the 4th when they scored three runs to put some pressure on ASU.
The Utes then proceeded to explode for five runs in the top of the 5th to put them up by three going into the sixth inning, while ASU couldn’t catch any breaks.
It looked bleak for the Sun Devils going into the bottom of the sixth, but freshman Cydney Sanders wasn’t having it. Sanders crushed a two-run homer to tie the game and give all momentum to ASU.
“We just had to keep passing the bat,” Harper said. “Get a runner on and trust your teammate behind you. That’s exactly what we did.”
Nobody scored in the 7th inning, bringing the game to extras. The Utes took a one-run lead in the top of the 8th to again test the streaking Sun Devils.
It was down to two outs, with runners on second and third when Hill concluded the game with a gapper to right field to score both runners.
“I loved our fight tonight.” coach Trisha Ford said. “It wasn’t pretty tonight, but we found a way to win a ball game.”
This win extends ASU’s win streak to 18 games, and the team looks to continue Friday against the Utes again at 6:00 p.m.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, April 14, 11:38 p.m.
Oregon — April 10 (W 8-6)
No. 16 ASU softball continued its reign of terror on the Pac-12 conference on Sunday afternoon with an 8-6 win over No. 14 Oregon in Eugene, Oregon to complete the series sweep and extend its win streak to 17 games.
This was the closest game of the weekend as ASU won by five runs or more in the previous two matchups.
The Ducks scored two runs in the first inning to take an early lead in the game, but their lead was vanquished in the 3rd inning with a grand slam by junior outfielder Jazmine Hill to put ASU up two.
Senior Marrisa Schuld came into the game in the third inning after struggles from freshman Mac Morgan and sophomore Allison Royalty.
Schuld pitched the rest of the game and only let up three runs in five innings. Schuld appeared in all three games this weekend.
In the 4th inning, freshman Cydney Sanders hit a three-run homer and put the Sun Devils up 7-3, and the Ducks couldn’t keep up with the Sun Devils.
ASU returns to Tempe on Thursday to take on Utah at 7:00 p.m. MST.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, April 10, 6:15 p.m.
Oregon — April 9 (W 9-4)
No. 16 ASU softball defeated No. 14 Oregon 9-4 rallying back late en route to its 15th straight victory.
The Sun Devils found themselves in a peculiar position in the early stages of the game as they gave up two runs in the second inning. The Sun Devils gave up two more runs in the third inning and were in jeopardy of losing their month-long winning streak.
The momentum started to shift in the fourth inning when Jazmine Hill launched a solo home run to left field to get on the scoreboard, 4-1.
The Sun Devils broke the game wide open in the sixth inning scoring six runs and gaining their first lead of the night as they sat comfortably 7-4 going into the final inning of play. The sixth inning was highlighted by a solo home run from junior Alynah Torres and RBI singles from both graduate student Jessica Puk and senior utility Mailey McLemore.
Senior pitcher Marissa Schuld closed out the deal in the seventh inning leading the Sun Devils to the 9-4 win.
The Sun Devils will complete the three-game series against the Ducks tomorrow afternoon at 12 PM MST with a chance to sweep their third straight Pac-12 opponent.
—Written Remy Mastey, April 9, 10:16 p.m.
Oregon — April 8 (W 9-3)
No. 16 ASU softball upset No. 14 Oregon 9-3 to up the winning streak to 15 games Friday night at Jane Sanders Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
Junior Jazmyn Rollin has been lethal at the plate all year, and tonight was no different. Rollin went 3-4 with two home runs and three RBI to continue her reign of terror on opposing pitchers.
On the pitching side, freshman Mac Morgan kept up her solid freshman campaign with three runs allowed in five innings while senior Marissa Schuld didn’t allow a hit in the last two innings.
The Sun Devils were in control the whole game courtesy of five runs in the first two innings. Morgan kept the Ducks scoreless through four.
ASU put the Ducks permanently out of reach in the top of the fourth inning thanks to a Rollin RBI double and an RBI single from sophomore Emily Cazares. An error brought Cazares home to cap off a three-run inning.
The Sun Devils take on the Ducks twice over the weekend and look to keep their undefeated record in Pac-12 play intact.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, April 8, 9:35 p.m.
Arizona — March 27 (W 8-0)
Senior pitcher Marissa Schuld delivered a no-hitter as ASU softball defeated UA 8-0 Sunday afternoon sweeping the three-game series on the road and shutting out their rivals for the second straight game.
The Sun Devils put the pressure on the Wildcats early on in the first inning with an RBI single from freshman Cydney Sanders and a sacrifice fly from junior Jazmine Rollin to put them up 2-0.
The runs continued to pour on in the third inning when Rollins struck gold again launching a solo home run to deep center field. Sophomore outfielder Emily Cazares hit a home run of her own shortly after Rollins to put the Sun Devils up 4-0.
While the Sun Devil hitters were doing their job at the plate, Schuld was wheeling and dealing on the mound. She pitched all five innings with 2 strikeouts and allowed no hits or runs on the day.
The Sun Devils tacked on four more runs through the fourth and fifth inning as they went up 8-0 which was enough to put the mercy rule on the Wildcats.
The month of March has been an incredible stretch for the red-hot Sun Devils. They are currently on a 14 game winning streak and it seems that they will not allow themselves to be beaten any time soon.
The Sun Devils continue their Pac-12 play, visiting the Oregon Ducks next weekend in a three-game series.
—Written Remy Mastey, March 27, 5:25 p.m.
Arizona — March 25-26 (W 9-2, W 11-0)
The Sun Devils thrashed the Wildcats 9-2 to kick off rivalry weekend on Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium in Tucson.
Junior designated hitter Jazmyn Rollin had a day at the plate going 2 for 3 at the plate with three RBIs, while freshman Cydney Sanders sealed the game in the sixth inning with a 2-RBI double to put the Devils up 8-2.
A Bella Loomis sac fly ended the scoring as Rollin ran home to extend the score to 9-2.
Freshman pitcher Mac Morgan and senior pitcher Marrisa Schuld took care of business on the mound with Morgan going a strong four innings with only two runs allowed, while Schuld continued her stretch of dominance going three innings with four strikeouts and only one hit allowed.
On Saturday, ASU showed the Wildcats no mercy pummeling them 11-0 in a game that ended in the fifth inning, courtesy of a mercy rule.
The Sun Devils surprisingly started off slow in this one, not scoring until the third inning. However, Rollin continued to torture the WIldcats with a three-run bomb to open the flood gates in the top of the third.
ASU went on to score eight runs in the next two innings thanks to home runs by graduate student catcher Jessica Puk, junior shortstop Alynah Torres, and Sanders.
This barrage of four-base hits put the Devils up 11-0, and junior pitcher Lindsay Lopez did not allow any runs on the mound going five innings with only two hits allowed.
The Sun Devils hope to finish off the Wildcats today at 2 pm and look to extend their win streak to 14 wins.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, March 27, 9:54 a.m.
Oregon State — March 20 (W 9-6)
On the day where ASU honored its former softball national championship teams, ASU softball beat Oregon State 9-6 in extras after trailing late in the game.
The Sun Devils came into the contest having defeated the Beavers each of the past two games. The Sun Devils started early with a two-run home run from junior center fielder Jazmine Hill in the first inning and found themselves up 3-0 in the bottom of the third.
However, the momentum was short-lived as trouble came in the bottom of the third inning in the form of a 30-minute thunder delay.
Coming out of the delay, the Sun Devils looked out of sorts. They immediately gave up three runs in the fourth inning and their bats fell silent. Suddenly, the Sun Devils were down 6-4 with no answer for the Beavers.
"I felt that we did not come back ready," coach Trisha Ford said. "We allowed them back in the game when I feel we really could have put them away. It's just part of the game, the ups and downs."
Going into the seventh and final inning down 6-4, graduate student catcher Jessica Puk launched a solo homer to center field to start the rally. That was shortly followed by a Hill RBI double which tied the game sending it to extra innings.
The Sun Devils carried their newly founded momentum into extra innings as pinch hitter Bella Loomis's eighth-inning three-run homer ended the game completing the sweep of the Beavers.
"We kind of fell apart after the rain delay and lost a little bit of focus," senior designated hitter Jazmyn Rollin said. "As long as we're playing for more than just ourselves and we compete and go hard against everyone else."
The Sun Devils are now on an 11 game winning streak. They have found their true identity over this hot stretch and look to continue their success when they face Pac-12 rival, UA next weekend in a three-game series.
"We need to tidy up some things and get rolling but I'm super excited," Ford said. "This was a win for us and I'm looking forward to the hostile environment, I think our players do as well."
—Written Remy Mastey, March 20, 8:37 p.m.
Oregon State — March 19 (W 9-1)
No 22 ASU softball stomped Oregon State 9-1 Saturday afternoon en route to the team’s tenth-straight victory.
The Sun Devils started their barrage early in the first inning. An RBI from junior center fielder Jazmine Hill set up sophomore left fielder Emily Cazares for a three-run bomb to right field which put the Sun Devils up 4-0.
While the Sun Devils' bats were heating up, senior pitcher Marissa Schuld did her part on the mound. She pitched a complete game and only allowed two hits and one run. Schuld was dominant throughout the contest and did not let a home run from the Beavers in the second inning rattle her confidence.
"I really never get too high or too low and I’m pretty level-headed," Schuld said. "I gave up that home run early but I just let it go and moved on to the next pitch."
The Sun Devils put the game out of reach for the Beavers in the fourth inning with two-run homers from both junior shortstop Alynah Torres and freshman first baseman Cydney Sanders putting them up 8-1.
It was senior designated hitter Jazmyn Rollin who sent the Beavers home in the sixth inning with a solo homer to dead center field which put the Sun Devils up 9-1 ending the game in a mercy rule.
This victory secures the Sun Devils series win in the first series of Pac-12 conference play. The Sun Devils are taking everything one game at a time and are not looking ahead of themselves.
"We are not paying attention to it, we are just trying to string good ball games together," coach Trisha Ford said. "We have gotten some very solid pitching in these past ten games and some clutch hitting. It's a very simple game but we have just done a great job of executing that."
Throughout this ten-game winning streak, the Sun Devils have really come together as one cohesive unit on and off the field as the support for one another has rallied all the players.
"Honestly we just have fun with each other and every one of us has each other's backs in that dugout, so I think staying together as a team and keeping functioning and attacking every day, that's helped us a lot," Schuld said.
The Sun Devils close out the series against the Beavers in the third and final game tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. MST.
—Written Remy Mastey, March 19, 8:27 p.m.
Oregon State — March 18 (W 5-3)
No. 22 ASU softball held off Oregon State 5-3 in front of a packed crowd at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium Friday night.
It was the first Pac-12 conference game of the year for ASU, and the team didn’t waste any time getting the bases loaded in the first inning. A moonshot grand-slam from senior designated hitter Jazmyn Rollin put the Sun Devils up 4-0.
"It was a great day for me," Rollin said. "It was good to help my team out to get a win."
ASU was only able to score one more run the entire game, but it didn’t need to score more thanks to freshman pitcher Mac Morgan.
Morgan made her first start ever in Pac-12 play tonight as a Sun Devil. She took the opportunity by the horns, pitching a complete game with only three runs allowed.
"She's a freshman starting her first Pac-12 game, a little baptism by fire," coach Trisha Ford said. "She did a tremendous job, and I think she is going to get a lot better with more opportunities."
The Sun Devils take on the Beavers again Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. in the second game of the three-game series between the two teams.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, March 18, 10:54 p.m.
Marist — March 15 (W 9-1)
It was another day, another win for No. 22 ASU softball, as the team overwhelmed Marist 9-1 in a five-inning run-rule game at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium Tuesday afternoon.
The Red Foxes couldn't keep up with ASU all game as senior pitcher Marrisa Schuld tallied 10 strikeouts on the night in just five innings.
"(Schuld) is doing a tremendous job this season so far," coach Trisha Ford said. "I'm really happy to see all these things start to come together for her, she's a special person."
On the offensive side of the ball, the Sun Devils kept up their hot streak thanks to multi-RBI performances from junior infielder Alynah Torres (two), sophomore infielder Savannah Price (three) and sophomore outfielder Emily Cazares (two).
"It's been a productive preseason," Ford said. "Our bats carried over from the weekend into tonight, so I'm happy with where we’re at going forward."
The Sun Devils start their Pac-12 conference play against Oregon State on Friday at 6:00 p.m. in Tempe, and they are looking to continue the eight-game win streak.
"It's going to be better competition than what we've faced so far," senior outfielder Yannira Acuña said. "We just have to go in there calm, and know what we have to do on the field."
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, March 15, 8:51 p.m.
Ball State — March 13 (W 9-2)
It was business as usual today for No. 23 ASU softball who smacked Ball State 9-2 in six innings due to a time stoppage Sunday afternoon at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.
The game started off not in the Sun Devil’s favor, letting up two runs in the third inning and were held scoreless until the 5th inning.
However, ASU got its swagger back in the 5th inning courtesy of 3 runs from some of Devils’ best in freshman Cydney Sanders, junior Jazmine Hill, and redshirt senior Hallie Harger who hit a single to drive in Hill to take the lead.
The next inning was Ball State’s breaking point, where ASU senior pitcher Marrisa Schuld struck out the Cardinal’s side in the top of the inning to add on to her seven strikeouts in three innings on the day.
In the bottom of the sixth, runs came flowing in for the Sun Devils where Senior Yannira Acuña hit a three-run homer to bring the game to 6-2 Sun Devils.
That wasn’t it for ASU when Ball State broke down in the field with a few throwing errors in the field which resulted in another run tallied on to make the game 7-2.
The game was put to rest a few batters later when sophomore Emily Cazares put the nail in the coffin with a two-run homer to end it on her birthday.
ASU’s win today confirmed a sweep of the five games the Devils played in the Sun Devil Classic tournament and left them at 18-5 on the season overall.
ASU will face Marist on Tuesday, who come all the way from New York to play the red-hot Devils in a one-game series at home.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, March 13, 4:34 p.m.
University of Texas Tournament (UT W 2-0)
ASU softball shut out the University of Texas at Austin, 2-0, at Red & Charline McCombs Field to cap off the UT tournament.
Freshman pitcher Mac Morgan had one of her best games yet for the Sun Devils, pitching six innings with no earned runs and only four hits.
She continues her strong freshman campaign with a 1.52 ERA in 27.2 innings.
On the offensive side of the game, both the Sun Devils and Longhorns struggled to score. However, in the first inning, it didn’t look like that would be the case with the bases getting loaded early for the Sun Devils.
ASU could only get run out of it though, with a sacrifice fly by junior Alynah Torres, which sent fellow junior Jazmine Hill home.
From there until the sixth inning, the game became stagnant. In the top of the sixth inning, senior Jazmyn Rollin took an interesting trip around the bases to score.
She walked, then stole second, then got to third on a wild pitch, and finally reached home from another wild pitch to seal the game for the Sun Devils.
ASU gets the day off on Saturday before taking part in a doubleheader on Sunday with their first game being against Texas State at 8:30 am, followed by UTSA right after at 11.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, Feb. 25, 4:03 p.m.
Littlewood Classic Day 4 (UTEP W 10-0)
ASU softball rolled through UTEP, 10-0 to conclude its Littlewood Classic campaign on Sunday night at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.
The game started off slow for the Sun Devils who didn’t put a single run on the board until the bottom of the third inning when freshman Cydney Sanders and junior Alynah Torres both hit sac flies to put the Devils up 2-0.
However, that wasn’t the end of the inning for ASU when senior Jazmyn Rollin came up a few batters later and hit another no-doubt homer to solidify her strong weekend at the plate.
“It feels good to finally get my swing coming along,” Rollin said. “First strike I saw, I knew I was going to hit it hard and I did.”
The Sun Devils put up two more runs in the bottom of the third, after a home run from Rollin. Sophomore Emily Cazares and junior Jazmine Hill hit back-to-back homers to build upon a six-run lead going into the fifth inning.
On the pitching side of the ball, freshman Mac Morgan started the game and went four innings scoreless, and then senior Marissa Schuld came in to pitch the last inning, where she casually struck out the side to keep the Miners scoreless.
“Marissa did a tremendous job in relief,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “I thought she came in a pounded the zone.”
In the bottom of the fifth, ASU got off to a quick start in a quest to end the game early when junior Jordyn Vanhook hit a rbi single to make the score 7-0.
The Devils then proceeded to get two girls on base, which set up senior Mailey McLemore, who hit a pinch-hit home run to end the game 10-0.
“I was just looking for something to hit,” McLemore said. “Obviously we only needed a run to score so I wasn’t looking to hit a home run, just something to hit hard that scores the runner.”
The Sun Devils finished the Classic, 4-1 and went 7-3 overall in its first 10 games and look forward to the University of Texas on Friday at 1 p.m. MST to begin the UT tournament.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, Feb. 20, 9:55 p.m.
Littlewood Classic Day 3 (Illinois State W 12-2, Minnesota L 7-5)
Another day of ASU softball in the books as the team split its two games Saturday, beating Illinois State, 12-2 and falling to Minnesota, 7-5.
The Sun Devils came in with a vengeance against the Redbirds, pouring in six runs in the second inning which was highlighted by a Cydney Sanders three-run home run to center field and a Jazmine Hill monster double bringing in two runs.
The offensive display continued for the Sun Devils in the following two innings, adding another five runs to the already loaded scoreboard. Both Hill and Sanders ended the night with 3 or more RBIs as the dynamic duo were too much to handle for the Redbirds.
On the mound, Marissa Schuld stole the show pitching a complete game, striking out eight batters and only allowing two hits all night.
“She is a freshman here but not really a freshman at heart,” head coach Trisha Ford said of Schuld. “She is a bulldog out there. Kids that compete are always going to be successful in life and Marrissa is one of those people.”
The Sun Devils ended the game in the fifth inning en route to its third mercy-rule in a row this weekend.
While the Sun Devils had some positive moments to look back on against the Gophers, their bats went cold in the late stages of the game and their lack of execution in the field ultimately led to their demise.
The Sun Devils' best play came in the bottom of the second inning when Jazmyn Rollin’s first home run as a Sun Devil helped spark a four-run inning which put them up 4-2 going into the third.
Everything went downhill quickly in the fourth inning as the Sun Devils fell apart in the field committing a costly error on a wild throw leading the Gophers to reconquer the lead.
There was a glimmer of hope late in the seventh inning with two runners on base, the Sun Devils had a chance to spark a rally but a pop-out for the final out by Kristiana Watson ended all hopes of a last-second victory.
With so much season left to be played, the Sun Devils are taking each game as a new lesson and are excited for the road that awaits them.
"l think both games are definitely learning experiences for us all,” Schuld said. “We'll learn from it as a team and me individually. I'm definitely more comfortable and I'm excited to be back. This is what I've been working for my whole life, so I'm excited."
ASU will look for redemption as they close out the Littlewood Classic tomorrow against UTEP at 3:30 p.m. MST.
—Written Remy Mastey, Feb. 20, 12:45 a.m.
Littlewood Classic Day 2 (Portland State W 9-1)
For the second straight night, the ASU softball team has mercy ruled its opponent, pummeling Portland State University, 9-1 in dominating fashion.
The Sun Devils came to play from the start as in the first inning Yannira Acuna struck gold, tripling down the right field line, scoring a run and then moments later stole home off a wild pitch. Before anyone could even blink, the Sun Devils were up 4-0 in the first inning after a two-run home run to left field by Kristiana Watson.
The Sun Devils continued to overwhelm the Vikings in the second inning, scoring another three runs off an Acuna single to right field and countless fielding blunders by the Vikings.
On the Defensive side, the Sun Devils were clicking on all cylinders. Freshman Mac Morgan had a no-hitter through four innings suffocating the Viking batters all night. She ended the night with a total of three strikeouts, one allowed a hit and an outstanding 2.17 era.
The game ended in epic fashion with junior Jazmine Hill’s two-run bomb in the fifth inning capping off the Sun Devils' second victory of the Littlewood Classic.
The Sun Devils know how important it is to get off to a hot start as in both Littlewood Classic wins, they scored at least one run in the first inning to take an early lead.
“I think our plan is to attack early and hit something hard to get runners on and produce from there,” Watson said. “ We try to keep our energy up from the very start because when we start out that way with high energy and momentum, then we can really keep it going throughout the game.”
While they are pleased with their victory, the Sun Devils are not getting too ahead of themselves, continuing to take each opponent they face seriously and only focusing on the task at hand.
“ The biggest thing I preach to the team is to take every game one game at a time,” Hill said. “Worry about this game first and then the next one and so forth. I think that mentality helps us stay aggressive.”
The Sun Devils look to continue with their aggressive approach into tomorrow's doubleheader against Illinois State at 4:30 p.m. MST and Minnesota at 7:00 p.m. MST.
—Written by Remy Mastey, Feb. 18, 10:50 p.m.
Littlewood Classic Day 1 (Minnesota W 8-0)
“Aggression” was a word thrown out tonight by many from the Sun Devil softball team and they delivered as they swept the Golden Gophers, 8-0 Thursday night at the Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium.
Seniors Yannira Acuña and Jazmyn Rollin led the way for ASU, driving in 7 of the 8 runs the team had, while junior pitcher Lindsay Lopez pitched a complete game shutout for the Devils.
“Lindsay threw one heck of a game,” Head Coach Trisha Ford said. “Great start to the weekend, honestly.”
This was also the first game that Rollin hit a home run for the Sun Devils in her 4th appearance for the team since transferring from Mizzou, adding a satisfying bat-flip with it.
“I've been waiting for my first one to come,” Rollin said. “As soon as it hit the bat, I knew it was going out.”
Junior outfielder Jazmine Hill went 2-4 on the night with the lone rbi that wasn’t from Acuña or Rollin.
“We came out strong, our biggest thing this week was to be aggressive,” Hill said. “Our biggest thing as a team is to learn from last week, dust it off, and come back bigger this week.”
Acuña ended the game in the 6th inning with a 2-run home run to trigger the mercy rule and seal the win for the Sun Devils.
ASU takes on Portland State tomorrow in the second day of the Littlewood Classic and will look to go 2-0 in the tournament.
“Defensively we need to tidy up, we had some routine balls that were errors,” Ford said. “I did like our focus in the box, there was a lot of good stuff to see tonight.”
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, Feb. 17, 9:33 p.m.
Kajikawa Classic Day 4 (Missouri State L 4-0)
No. 21 ASU softball team concluded the Kajikawa Classic with a 4-0 loss to Missouri State Bears on Sunday afternoon.
Senior pitcher Marissa Schuld started the game red hot for the Sun Devils, registering three straight strikeouts in the first inning. Things quickly spiraled out of control in the second. With two runners on base, outfielder Ellie McCoy delivered in a big way with an RBI double which scored two runs and put the Bears up 2-0.
It did not get better for the Sun Devils in the third inning as Schuld threw a wild pitch which led to a Bears run.
Despite having an electric weekend offensively, the Sun Devils' bats were silent, coming through with only one hit all afternoon. The Bears put the game out of reach in the fifth inning with a Steffany Dickerson RBI single which scored two more runs.
Due to the previous game running longer than expected, the game ended in the fifth inning and the Sun Devils were unable to mount a comeback, losing 4-0.
The Sun Devils started the Kajikawa Classic shutting out California Baptist and ended it putting up blanks on the scoreboard. Overall, the Sun Devils had an overall positive weekend winning, three out of their five matchups and upsetting No. 20 Duke.
"We love the fight and we love to take action against other teams that are ranked higher than us where we belong," Cydney Sanders said. "We feel like we belong at the top and we're going to show everyone that we belong."
The Sun Devils have a few days to spare before they embark on the Littlewood Classic starting on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 6 PM MST against Minnesota.
—Written by Remy Mastey, Feb. 13, 8:09 p.m.
Kajikawa Classic Day 3 (No. 20 Duke W 8-7)
With one girl on base and two runs needed to win it, redshirt freshman Kristiana Watson went up to bat just looking to do some damage on the ball, and she ended the game with a walk-off home run as No. 21 ASU softball defeated No. 20 Duke 8-7 in the fourth game of the Kajiwaka Classic.
Watson was the hero against the Blue Devils going two for three with three RBIs, and the play of the game in the walk-off home run.
“Wats (Watson) is somebody that puts in the work, day in day out,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “She is going to be something special.”
Sophomore pitcher Allison Royalty had a great bounce-back game in her second game of the Classic going five innings with six strikeouts and two earned runs allowed.
“She has a lot of dynamic movement,” Ford said. “I thought she did a tremendous job of coming back and using the zone.”
The Sun Devils took an early 5-1 lead in the fourth inning to set the tone of the game, but the Blue Devils slowly crawled back with one run in the fifth before they exploded with four runs in the top of the sixth to take the lead 6-5.
ASU tied it up in the bottom of the sixth, but hope started to run out when Duke scored in the top of the 7th to make the score 7-6 and set up Watson’s bomb to end it.
The unsung hero of not only this game but this whole entire classic has been Freshman Cydney Sanders who has seven hits over her first four games as a Sun Devil including three tonight.
“I just want to get a good pitch to hit and hit it hard,” Saunders said. “I love to compete. And we competed today”
ASU will take on Missouri State for the second time in three days tomorrow at 1 p.m. to finish up the Classic.
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, Feb. 12, 12:39 a.m.
Kajikawa Classic Day 2 (Missouri State W 7-3)
No. 21 ASU softball thumped the Missouri State Bears 7-2 in the third game of the Kajiwaka Classic at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium Friday night.
The highlight of the night was when junior shortstop Alynah Torres had a two-run bomb to right-center field in the bottom of the 5th inning to seal the game and put the Sun Devils up 7-2.
Torres had already run the bases once in the bottom of the 3rd when she hit a double that turned into a two-run inside-the-park home run, thanks to two errors on the play by the Bears, to put ASU up 4-1.
"(That has) never happened in my softball career," Torres said. "It's good to get that off my shoulders, and get that out of the way."
Head coach Trisha Ford gave pitching duties to freshman Mac Morgan who pitched four innings with two earned runs on the night to earn her first win in her first start for the Sun Devils.
"Mac threw well tonight," Ford said. "She didn't really have a hard-hit ball against her."
Missouri State took an early 1-0 lead on the Sun Devils, but the wheels fell off for them after the Torres double that turned into an inside-the-park home run. The Bears were unable to catch up the rest of the game.
The Sun Devils take on No. 20 Duke tomorrow in one of their biggest matches of the classic.
"I'm excited (for Duke)," Ford said. "We just have to worry about us, pitching and playing good defense. We have to take a little exhale."
—Written by Vinny Deangelis, Feb. 11, 10:35 p.m.
Kajikawa Classic Day 1 (CBU W 8-0, OSU L 5-2)
No. 21 ASU softball kicked off its highly anticipated 2022 campaign with an 8-0 victory over California Baptist and a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma State just a few hours later.
The Sun Devils put their game against the Lancers to bed early on as they came out on fire in the first inning. After an RBI single from transfer senior Jazmyn Rollin and an RBI double from redshirt freshman Kristiana Watson, the Sun Devils found themselves up 5-0 in the first inning. Freshman infielder Cydney Sanders put the icing on the cake in just the second inning hitting a three-run home run, putting the Sun Devils up 8-0.
On defense,
Vincent Deangelis is a full-time reporter for the sports department at The State Press. He has previously worked for Arizona PBS and AZPreps365.com.
