Arizona State Softball (31-14 overall, 11-7 Big 12) earned its first Big 12 sweep after the Sun Devils defeated the Utah Utes (12-30 overall, 4-11 Big 12) three times over the weekend, extending the Maroon and Gold’s winning streak to six games.
In the series opener, ASU head coach Megan Bartlett’s side exploded for a five-run sixth inning to secure Game 1 on Friday night.
Utah took the lead in the second inning after sophomore outfielder Reese Lee tripled into left field, giving the Utes a 2-1 advantage. However, ASU freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia evened the score in the following inning with a ground out to shortstop which brought home freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching.
In the sixth, the Sun Devils came alive. Sophomore catcher Samantha Swan’s single put ASU up 3-2 before another single by Ho-Ching put two runners on the bases for the Maroon and Gold. Freshman infielder Takyla Davis added another run by stealing home plate, which led the way for junior outfielder Yannixa Acuña to single and complete ASU’s sixth-inning resurgence.
Senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown pitched the entire game and recorded nine strikeouts while conceding two runs.
A full 24 hours later, the Devils clinched the series with a narrow 3-2 win on Saturday. Mejia started her squad’s early scoring spurt with an RBI double in the first inning to get ASU on the board. In the top of the third, graduate outfielder Kelsey Hall helped ASU extend the lead with a sacrifice flyout, which allowed Acuña to come in to score.
However, Utah tied it up in the bottom of the third when freshman catcher Kennedy Proctor singled up the middle to tally two RBIs.
It took until the fifth inning for the Sun Devils to reclaim the lead. Acuña smacked an RBI single down the left-field line to give ASU a 3-2 lead, which it managed to hold onto for the rest of the game.
On Sunday, Bartlett’s squad finished with its biggest win of the weekend, completing the sweep with a 7-1 victory. A fast start from the offense saw ASU record three runs in the second inning, with Swan recording two RBIs to give the road team an early 3-0 lead.
While the Utes got on the board in the fourth, the Sun Devils slammed the door shut in the fifth inning as freshman catcher Lillian Holtje smashed her sixth home run of the season. Mejia followed a three-run homer to help ASU close out a 7-1 win.
In the circle, sophomore right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe pitched a complete game in Sunday’s win, tallying two strikeouts and allowing less than two runs in her sixth straight game.
ASU seeks its seventh consecutive win on Tuesday, as it prepares to host GCU in a non-conference clash at 6 p.m. PST at Farrington Stadium.
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