On the back of senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown’s complete game shutout, Arizona State kicked off its senior weekend with a 5-0 win over the Baylor Bears on Thursday night.
Soaring into Tempe on a six-game winning streak, the boiling hot Bears (21-22, 7-9 Big 12) saw their offense stifled by Brown. The Sun Devils’ (32-15, 12-7 Big 12) ace notched her fourth complete game shutout on the season while adding to her Big 12-leading 239 strikeouts.
However, perhaps most important to Brown’s historic season has been the conductor of her dominant outings: sophomore catcher Samantha Swan. After the win, head coach Megan Bartlett dished out high praise for her leader behind the plate.
“She is so good with the pitchers,” Bartlett said of Swan. “She keeps them calm. She has a wonderful command of the zone. Most importantly, she has done a wonderful job at being their person.”
While weathering the storm defensively for the Devils, Swan has also found her rhythm in the batter’s box. Through Big 12 play, Swan has maintained a .327 batting average. On Thursday night, she brought home her fifth RBI over her last five games.
The scoring started for the Maroon and Gold in the third, with a solo home run off the bat of freshman third baseman Takyla Davis. Her no-doubter ended a 12-inning scoreless streak for the Devils.
“The homer felt really good, especially with not getting on in the GCU game,” Davis said. “I just wanted to do something to hype my team up.”
FIRST PITCH… GONE 😈@TakylaDavis2024 gives us the early 1-0 lead 🫡 pic.twitter.com/HVENdPLsaq
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 18, 2025
Davis’ blast ignited a three-run inning for ASU. Both freshman right fielder Ashleigh Mejia and junior left fielder Tanya Windle each drove in a run to extend the Sun Devils’ lead.
In the sixth, junior first basemen Ayden Allen added some insurance via an RBI double to the gap in right-center field.
“My first two at-bats I did not pick up my teammates, so going into the sixth, I was just trying to do anything to get on the board,” Allen said.
The added insurance turned out to be surplus for the Devils, who held the Bears scoreless.
Brown returned to the circle in the seventh and shut the door. On her 100th pitch of the night, she struck out her ninth batter, moving into the program’s all-time top 10 for single-season strikeouts.
The ace cruised for most of the night, with the only exception coming against the Bears’ senior second baseman Presleigh Pilon, who cracked her code. Pilon picked up two of the Bears’ three hits, as she drilled her fifth and sixth extra-base hits of the season on Thursday night.
Still, it did little to dampen Brown’s stellar performance.
Senior weekend continues on Friday, as the Sun Devils look to take the series with sophomore right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe in the circle.
With just five regular-season games left, Bartlett’s team understands how important the final stretch is.
Currently sitting in third place in the conference, the Sun Devils have a chance to earn a bye in the Big 12 tournament and inch closer to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2022.
“They are hyper aware they are fighting for a spot in the NCAA tournament,” Bartlett said. “These are women on a mission.”
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