TEMPE — Arizona State softball won its third game of the Kajikawa Classic, cruising past Northwestern at home 8-0 behind a dominant performance from senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown and explosive offense in the late innings to ultimately run-rule the Wildcats.
This thrilling win kept ASU undefeated in the 2026 Kajikawa Classic Tournament and ended the Sun Devils’ two-game losing skid in their all-time series against the Wildcats.
Brown pitched the entirety of the six-inning game and recorded 12 strikeouts with no walks, no runs allowed and only two hits for Northwestern.
Riding the arm of Brown, the ASU defense shut down the Wildcats, giving the Sun Devils time to build offensive momentum.
“She (Brown) is certainly a veteran to really tight games, and she’s done that her whole career,” ASU coach Megan Bartlett said. “She is just a very consistent, locked-in, driven pitcher.”
The Devils got on the board early by way of a single up the middle from junior catcher Samantha Swan, who drove in freshman infielder JazMarie Roberts in the bottom of the second inning.
The third and fourth innings featured a pitcher’s duel between Brown and Northwestern’s freshman right-hander Marina Mason.
Looking to grow its lead and support Brown in the circle, the Sun Devil offense came alive in the final two innings.
In the bottom of the fifth, Arizona State’s bats began to explode, starting with a two-run home run from junior first baseman Katie Chester, putting the Sun Devils ahead 3-0. Chester’s 256 ft. homer followed an at-bat in which sophomore infielder Tiare Ho-Ching went down after getting hit by a pitch.
“It hurt my heart a little bit seeing a team leader go down like that,” Chester said. “I just felt like I had to come up in a big moment to help her out.”
Following the Chester home run, Wildcats infielder Grace Nieto put the pressure on Brown and the ASU defense, smacking a triple to left center. Unfazed, Brown responded with a strikeout, bringing her to six scoreless innings pitched.
Chester’s long ball brought newfound energy that carried into the bottom of the sixth, as ASU scored five runs, rattling the Wildcats defense.
Designated player Emily Schepp and junior second baseman Nehanda Lewis both drove in runs for Sparky, and, after a few Northwestern errors, ASU had built up a comfortable lead.
Hoping to keep the hit train rolling, junior catcher Samantha Swan stepped up to the plate with a chance to ice the game. In walkoff fashion, Swan launched a two-run home run to deep right field, ending the game by run-rule.
“I was just looking to hit a ball in the grass,” Swan said about the home run. “It felt really good.”
Bartlett and the Sun Devils will look to continue to dominate in the final game of the Kajikawa Classic against Memphis on Feb. 8 at 12:45 at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium.
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