Following a dominant win on Saturday against Portland State, Arizona State softball (10-5) returned to Farrington Stadium one day later to close out the Sun Devil Classic against New Mexico State (9-8). The Sun Devils defeated the Aggies 5-1 in seven innings behind strong performances from their veterans.
ASU wasted no time showcasing its power at the plate. With runners on first and second, freshman right fielder Ashleigh Mejia stepped up to the plate with a chance to cash in for her team in the first inning.
Looking for the perfect pitch–something she described as “outside and flat”–Mejia launched a shot out to left-center field to clear the bases and give the Sun Devils a 3-0 lead.
Mejia’s second home run this season provided the spark needed to kickstart the offense.
“Wanting to win. This is something that I value a lot and something we’re taught” Mejia said. “Just having grit and attacking what we’re hunting and that’s what got the momentum going.”
However, the Aggies responded. An RBI single in the third from New Mexico State sophomore center fielder Desirae Spearman brought home junior second baseman Kenzie Nicholson to make the score 3-1. After a few scoreless innings, the Sun Devils didn’t regain momentum until the bottom of the fifth when they finally got back on the scoreboard.
Senior utility player AJ Murphy smashed a homer to center to lead off the fifth for ASU, which rewarded the Maroon and Gold with a 4-1 advantage.
Not long after, graduate student outfielder Kelsey Hall entered the batter’s box with two outs, eager to extend the Devils’ lead. With the crack of her bat, the ball soared into center field to give the home team a 5-1 lead.
“It feels good rolling into next weekend and then into conference building on that and trusting our plans and abilities,” Murphy said.
Defense and pitching played a critical role in the ASU win. Both sophomore right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe and senior right-hander Kenzie Brown combined for seven strikeouts and only conceded five hits.
“I thought Kenzie and Meika did a great job today,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “What I was most happy about is when their rhythm would get off a pitch or two, or we give up a hit, they just dial right back in. The same with defense.”
With the pitching playing its part by keeping the Aggies nearly scoreless, it became critical for the Sun Devils to repay the favor and provide run support.
“Let’s step it up for them. I feel like it’s very important and something that we all value,” Mejia said. “We’re trying to help and back them up, and producing for our pitchers is a big thing so they don’t have to throw as many pitches and can be relaxed in the circle.”
Arizona State closed the Sun Devil Classic with three wins in its four games, only dropping its weekend opener to No. 3 Florida. ASU will stay home to take on fellow former Pac-12 member Oregon State on Thursday at 6 p.m. in the ASU Invitational.
Leave a Reply