TEMPE – In the midst of its longest win streak as a program under Coach Megan Bartlett, No. 22 Arizona State has reached the 10-1 mark for the first time since 2021.
The Sun Devils finished off a long weekend of games at the Littlewood Invitational with an 8-0 win over Pacific on Sunday at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium.
Senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown pitched her second shutout of the season, allowing just two hits, one walk and striking out 10 batters.
“She’s (Brown) a tremendous competitor, and she’s one of our hardest working kids,” Bartlett said.
Brown currently leads NCAA Division I softball in strikeouts and continues to display dominance every time she steps in the circle.
The Maroon and Gold offense kept their momentum from earlier in the weekend, going and striking quickly on Sunday. Senior outfielder Kaylee Pond and freshman infielder JazMarie Roberts put up a combined three runs in the first inning.
The pair sparked an offensive avalanche that continued throughout the contest, as ASU scored five more runs and recorded a total of 15 hits through six innings.
Pond finished the day going 3-for-3 and notching two RBIs with two singles and a double to seal a run-rule victory.
“I just liked how this offense this weekend collectively really trusted the next person up, and we were just passing the bat,” Pond said.
Roberts, who bats directly after Pond in the lineup, went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs.
“I feel like I have done a really good job of passing the bat, and just getting my job done,” said Roberts.
Looking back on the weekend’s games, ASU has seen an improvement in its at-bats in the early innings of games, jumping out to leads in many of their tilts at the Littlewood Invitational.
“We just had to remind them how good they were at hitting,” Bartlett said. “Then it was off to the races.”
Over the weekend, Sparky’s defense committed some errors, but, because of strong efforts from both the pitching staff and the offense, the mistakes didn’t come back to bite ASU.
As the season progresses, the Devils hope to keep their strong offensive momentum going while tightening their overall defense to keep stacking wins.
No. 22 Arizona State will be back at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium next weekend for the Sun Devil Classic, kicking off on Feb. 20. Up first, the Michigan Wolverines come to Tempe to take on the Sun Devils at 3:30 p.m. MST.
Leave a Reply