TEMPE — After trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh inning, Arizona State battled back late to take down Memphis 4-3 at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium and finish undefeated in the Kajikawa Classic.
Junior first baseman Katie Chester walked it off for the Sun Devils, ripping a ball through the left side of the infield to bring home the winning run.
The Maroon and Gold entered riding a wave of momentum, after an 8-0 run-rule victory over Northwestern the previous night. However, it didn’t translate at the plate for ASU early on.
The Sun Devils managed to get on the board in the second inning, as junior second baseman Nehanda Lewis grounded out to short for a sacrifice RBI.
Meanwhile, the Tigers struggled to get the bats going as well, with both teams combining for only two hits each through the first two innings.
Nonetheless, in the top of the fourth inning, Memphis started to get its offense going, as senior center fielder Kennedy Siemen and graduate student utility player Paris Brienesse both slashed singles.
With runners at first and second with two outs, an opportunity opened up for the Tigers. Sophomore second baseman Ariel Davis capitalized, beltizing a riser pitch, chest-high in height, to straightaway left field for a three-run home run. It gave Memphis a 3-1 lead, an advantage it held until the seventh inning.
The Sun Devils went hitless for the next four innings after the second, but things soon turned around for ASU late in the seventh.
Tigers starter, junior pitcher Tanyah Brown, caused Sparky fits at the plate all day and was still pitching deep into the game, looking for a complete-game win late in the seventh.
“She certainly was making things easy for us,” head coach Megan Bartlett said.
The fatigue started to hit Brown after her pitch count neared triple digits. Despite getting the first out of the seventh, trouble soon followed.
Arizona State found its footing, as freshman utility player Avery Montori picked up her first hit as a Sun Devil after coming in as a pinch hitter to get the rally started.
“With this team, it takes one big hit, and then you just watch the floodgates open,” Bartlett said.
Following an error shortly after, Brown walked the next two batters and a pitching change was needed.
The Tigers brought in freshman right-hander Avery Stutts, who came in and gave up a walk to tie the game and then ultimately surrendered the walk-off hit to Chester.
“I just told myself to hit a ground ball, and that’s what I did,” Chester said.
Despite the Sun Devils’ impressive comeback victory, it wasn’t a smooth day overall for the ASU offense. Arizona State finished 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position and couldn’t cash in when it needed to.
“I think the plans are good and I think those are highly trained hitters, but for whatever reason just looks a bit off to me right now,” Bartlett said.
With ASU needing to polish up a few things at the plate, it now gears up to take on Portland State and Indiana in a doubleheader on Feb. 12.
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