TEMPE – In front of an energetic, sellout crowd on a sunny Friday evening at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium, No. 24 Arizona State (35-13, 8-10 Big 12) lost 6-0 against No. 2/5 Texas Tech (42-4, 16-2 Big 12) in the first game of ASU’s final regular-season series at home.
Sparky’s offense has remained a force to be reckoned with through the 2026 season, with a team batting average of .329. However, the offense struggled to find any momentum against dominant Red Raiders junior right-handed pitcher Kaitlyn Terry and the defense that backed her.
The Sun Devils did not have a base runner until the bottom of the third inning, when senior utility player Yazzy Avila walked. Furthermore, it did not record a hit until the bottom of the fourth inning, when junior third baseman Emily Schepp hit a double.
“Kudos to Tech,” coach Megan Bartlett said. “Kaitylin Terry did a nice job. She threw a beautiful game.”
Despite the struggling offense, senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown battled for the Sun Devils in the circle against a dynamic Tech offense.
“She (Brown) threw beautifully and got out of some really tight spots,” Bartlett said. “We’ve got to give her more run support than that; that’s just what it came down to.”
Brown and Terry came out strong, resulting in an intense pitchers’ duel between the two through the first three innings, as the game remained scoreless.
Even while Texas Tech continued to apply pressure, Brown and the Arizona State defense stayed strong to power through some traffic on the bases.
Still, the Red Raiders struck first in the top of the fourth inning. Junior third baseman Taylor Pannell hit a two-run home run that flew just over senior center fielder Kaylee Pond’s glove. Tech extended its lead in the top of the sixth with another two-run home run.
“Pannell got through a change-up. She certainly earned that one.” Bartlett said. “Then one missed spot, and then one more ball left the yard.”
Senior left-handed pitcher Aissa Silva replaced Brown in the top of the seventh inning, giving up an RBI double and an RBI single.
Regardless of the final score, both teams played some exceptional softball.
“There’s a lot of All-Americans on that field,” Bartlett said. “I think it was a tighter game than the score actually indicates.”
It won’t get any easier for Bartlett and the Devils’ offense moving into the next two games, with Texas Tech star senior right-handed pitcher NiJaree Cannady expected to pitch in the upcoming games.
“There are no secrets with NiJaree Cannady. If you start swinging at that rise ball above your head, it’s going to be a long night,” Bartlett said. “You have to hunt the ball down with her, and you gotta be on time for velo (velocity).”
Arizona State will continue the Big 12 conference series with Game 2 against Texas Tech, slated for Saturday at 2 p.m. at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium.
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