TEMPE — Led by senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown, Arizona State (31-11 overall, 5-8 conference) took down No. 25/22 Central Florida (30-11-1 overall, 8-7-1 conference) on Friday night, winning 7-1 at Farrington Stadium.
After claiming the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL) Golden Ticket on Tuesday — signifying the student-athlete’s opportunity to play professionally after college — Brown returned to the circle and proved why she’s worthy of the prize. The Illinois native scored her joint second-highest strikeout tally this season after recording 13 K’s against the Knights.
“It was definitely super emotional,” Brown said after the game. “I just don’t think it has set in yet. It was just such a surprise, and playing with it behind my back now is such a blessing.”
Brown started hot, striking out the first batter she faced while working her way through a rocky second inning. Despite being in a bases-loaded jam with zero outs, she closed the inning with two strikeouts and allowed just one run.
“Sometimes I forget how good my stuff is, and I try to be a little too perfect,” Brown said. “So I just started throwing it and finding the zone.”
Brown continued to rack up the strikeout count, reaching double-digit K’s by the fifth inning. By the end of the night, she allowed just three hits.
“Can’t say enough about Kenz,” coach Megan Bartlett said after the game. “It’s not just about the talent or the strikeouts. We are certainly gonna miss all of those things and everything she brings on and off the field.”
Brown’s pitching made way for the Sun Devils’ offense. ASU got out to an early start in the first inning following a single RBI by junior catcher Samantha Swan.
The scoring continued with two runners on base as junior catcher Emily Schepp blasted a three-run home run over left center, giving the Maroon and Gold a 4-0 lead.
Both offenses went cold for the next four innings, with UCF registering one run and two hits while the Sun Devils managed only one hit from the second through the fifth.
However, Bartlett’s side found life in the sixth inning. Swan started by hitting a single, followed up with Schepp taking a walk and redshirt senior shortstop Brooklyn Ulrich laying down a sacrifice bunt to move two runners into scoring position.
Then, freshman utility JazMarie Roberts batted another sacrifice bunt to allow redshirt freshman utility Corie Shull to come crashing in at home plate. ASU stayed aggressive on the base paths, with sophomore infielder Tiare Ho-Ching hitting a sacrifice fly-out to center field, allowing senior outfielder Yannixa Acuña to score.
Realizing the throw to home plate rolled past UCF sophomore catcher Beth Damon, ASU relayed Roberts home, sliding in safely to put the Sun Devils up 7-1.
Brown closed out the remainder of the game with two additional strikeouts and ending with 117 pitches.
“It was her game to finish,” Bartlett said.
The Maroon and Gold wins game one of the best-of-three series as Bartlett’s squad prepares for a rematch on Saturday at 4 p.m. MST.
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