TEMPE– In front of a sold-out crowd at Alberta B. Farrington Stadium, No. 24/RV Arizona State Softball (35-15, 8-12 Big 12) fell to the No. 2/5 Texas Tech Red Raiders (46-4, 18-2 Big 12) on Senior Day, 7-5.
It marked the first time the Sun Devils hosted back-to-back sellouts since 2023. Eight seniors were honored in a pregame ceremony that featured ceremonial first pitches from close family.
Face cutouts and jerseys dotted through the stadium paid tribute to the seniors, celebrating their college careers.
ASU Head Coach Megan Barlett said, “I don’t know if there are enough thank yous for that class and the new additions – Kaylee Pond, Aissa Silva, Brooklyn Ulrich, Yazzy Avila – they’ve all been tremendous.”
Left-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe started for Arizona State and held Texas Tech scoreless through the first two innings despite facing a powerful offense.
The Red Raiders broke through in the third inning, capitalizing on early defensive mistakes by the Sun Devils. Texas Tech scored four runs on three hits, building momentum as chants from the visiting team grew louder.
Arizona State answered in the bottom half of the inning. Senior outfielder Tanya Windle hit a home run to deep center field, sparking the Sun Devils’ first run of the series and reenergizing the crowd.
Junior catcher Emily Schepp followed with a home run to center field, and senior outfielder Kaylee Pond scored from first base, pulling Arizona State to one.
Just as they got momentum back and started to make a push, mistakes continued to pile up for the Marron and Gold, and Texas Tech responded with two runs in the fourth inning to regain the momentum.
“This team has been coming and doing that all season,” Barlett said. “Our hitters are certainly not afraid to chase leads and take risks and get into balls late.”
In the fourth, Kaitlyn Terry relieved NiJaree Canady, who moved to first base for a couple of minutes of the inning.
ASU right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown later relieved Lauppe and received a standing ovation after allowing six runs on five hits.
Senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich hit a home run to center field, cutting into the lead and briefly taking over the chants. Canady returned to the circle to relieve Terry as the Sun Devils attempted to take the lead.
“Yeah, that was really cool. I love my lefties, that’s for sure,” Barlett said. “I’m certainly so proud of them, really the whole senior class, especially the ones we have had for multiple seasons.”
Despite Texas Tech scoring a run in the top of the seventh and Canaday keeping Arizona State away from mounting a comeback, the Sun Devils continued to battle throughout till the end.
“Texas Tech is a very good ballclub that just kept putting pressure on us, and the dam finally broke,” Barlett said. “It’s certainly a game of momentum, but we are going to come back tomorrow and fight like crazy and get momentum on our side.”
Arizona State entered the series final seeking its 36th win of the season, which would be the most under fourth-year coach Megan Barlett and the program’s third-highest win total in the last 11 seasons.
After battling into the seventh inning with a chance to win, the Sun Devils will turn their attention to the series final against Texas Tech on April 26 at 1 p.m MST at Farrington Stadium, before going on the road to finish the season.
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