After being mercy ruled on Saturday night, graduate designated player Kelsey Hall said the Sun Devils wanted to come out and deliver the first punch in their series finale against Kansas. On Sunday, they accomplished just that.
An early pair of two-run blasts from Arizona State (26-14, 8-7 Big 12) helped secure a 4-3 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks (17-17, 4-8 Big 12) to win the series.
The Maroon and Gold wasted no time getting on the board. Freshman right fielder Ashleigh Mejia drilled a two-run homer in the bottom of the first to give the Sun Devils and early advantage.
“She is a little firecracker, whether she is batting 1.000 or in a slump,” Hall said.
Mejia now has 11 home runs on the season, which is the second-most among freshmen and tied for third overall in the Big 12.
Through the series, Mejia knocked four hits, including two homers and five RBIs.
Another two-run shot, this time off the bat of Hall, extended the ASU lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third. Hall snapped her nine-game home run skid and added to her team-high 41 RBIs which sits tied for fifth in the Big 12.
We give that two BOOMS on the BOOM meter 💪#ForksUp /// @kelseyhall38 pic.twitter.com/sbrzeFX9Lh
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 6, 2025
In the circle, senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown turned in her third gem of the week. For the second time this series, Brown pitched a complete game and punched out double-digit batters.
Brown started on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and ultimately tallied 38 strikeouts in 18 innings while she allowed just five earned runs. With 196 strikeouts, Brown now stands alone at the top of the Big 12 and second in the nation in punchouts.
“That does not happen overnight, that is a product of hard work,” head coach Megan Bartlett said.
After striking out the first seven of the eleven Jayhawk batters, Kansas finally cracked Brown in the top of the fourth. Sophomore first basemen Anna Soles split the ASU defense with an RBI single up the middle to put Kansas on the board.
Soles led the Jayhawks in the series with four hits including a homer and four RBIs.
The Jayhawks added two more on solo homers from senior catcher Natalie Marshall and junior right fielder Aynslee Linduff in the top of the fifth.
Unshaken by the Jayhawk power surge, Brown returned in the sixth and seventh innings to fan five of the last seven Kansas batters.
“A superstar athlete is what she is,” Bartlett said. “That kid is a warrior and she is tough.”
As the regular season nears its end, Hall knows how important every win is going forward.
“We can not just roll into El Paso and think we are going to win with ease,” Hall said. “It is going to test our character and our grit.”
On Wednesday, the Sun Devils will travel down to Texas for a doubleheader against UTEP (15-19, 5-10 CUSA), before continuing Big 12 play against Utah (12-27, 4-8 Big 12) in Salt Lake City on Friday.
“We have to continue to find a way to be tough late,” Bartlett said. “Hitters got to get to bats going, and we are going to continue to scrap.”
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