Jordyn VanHook continued to rake at the plate, hitting a home run in each game. With 11 home runs on the season, VanHook is the leader in Division I softball in home runs.
In game one, Yannira Acuña flirted with hitting for the cycle going 3-3 with a triple and a double. Acuña had a chance for a home run it in the sixth inning but lined out on a SAC fly to score Jazmine Hill. She finished game one with two RBI’s and a stolen base.
GAME 1: Arizona State 6, New Mexico 2
The Sun Devils scored a single run in every inning they came to the pate against the Lobos. The team knocked out 11 hits with multi-hit games from Acuña, VanHook and Hill. Acuña finished a homer shy of the cycle, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBIs. VanHook extended her hitting streak to nine games with a skyscraping home run, her tenth of the year. Deborah Jones worked 1.2 innings in relief to earn the win while Marissa Schuld closed out her third save of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Maintaining success as the leadoff batter, Acuña fired a triple down the right field line to start th bottom of the first and she scored on a groundout from Emily Cazares.
Makenna Harper and Alexa Milius hit back-to-back singles to start the second which led to a sacrifice fly from Sarah Kinch to give the Sun Devils a 2-0 lead.
The Lobos threatened to score in the third, but on a two-out single to center, Acuña threw a bullet to the plate that cut down the runner and ended the inning
The bottom third featured Acuña leading off with a double, her seventh of the season, and scoring a an error two batters later.
New Mexico scored in the top of the fourth, but a Savannah Price to VanHook double play ended the frame.
Hill singled to start the Sun Devils fifth and scored on an Acuña single and advancing to second on a Price sacrifice bunt.
The Lobos loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth after a pair of walks and a shallow single. Jones then forced a pop up, and recorded a strikeout before a run scored on an error. A groundout ended the threat with just the one run allowed.
In the bottom fifth, VanHook smashed a nation leading 10th home run over the left field scoreboard, making it 5-2 in ASU’s favor.
ASU loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the sixth, but only managed a single run from an Acuña sacrifice fly.
Schuld worked a perfect seventh to complete two scoreless innings for her third save.
GAME 2: Arizona State 5, Charlotte 11
The Sun Devils were unable to grab the second game of the night, falling to Charlotte. Four of ASU’s five hits in the game went for extra bases, including a pair of home runs. In a rare oddity, all 11 of the runs scored by Charlotte were unearned.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After each team posted a zero in the first, Charlotte took advantage of two Sun Devil errors to plate six runs.
VanHook continued her streak with a homer to right that starred the ASU second inning. Makenna Harper followed with a single and she scored on double from Alexa Milius that had the deficit to 6-2 after two.
The 49ers added five runs on three hits over the third and fourth innings in part to two more ASU errors.
Harper got one run back for the Sun Devils with her third home run of the year leading off the fourth inning.
Acuña walked and advanced to third on a pinch-hit single from Shannon Cunninghamto start the fifth. Taylor Nicholson delivered a a sacrifice fly and then VanHook snuck a ball down the right-field line to score Cunningham, making the game 11-5.
Neither team would crack the scoreboard over the final two frames.
QUOTES:
Head Coach Megan Bartlett
On Jordyn VanHook’s so far this season:
“Jordyn VanHook is just such a great kid, like she’s an awesome teammate and a super hard worker. I think she’s done probably the best job yet collectively of all of our hitters. She doesn’t let any one at-bat moment get bigger than the next. She keeps it really simple, she knows what pitch she’s looking for and I think day in and day out comes with just a really simple, consistent solid approach at the plate. It’s just been fun to watch.”
On bouncing back for tomorrow’s doubleheader:
“We just talked to the kids about having a short memory, Charlotte is a very good ball club. They already have wins over Georgia and South Carolina so they have two SEC wins. So to take nothing away from Charlotte, I mean they executed their game plan, they made good on some mistakes, we threw on the mound and they honestly took advantage of some errors. So I think in this game and college softball right now the scores are going to get big and they get lopsided. Momentum is a huge factor in our game right now and everybody can hit.”
UP NEXT:
The Sun Devils will play another doubleheader for day two of the Sun Devil Classic. They will take on Michigan State with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. before facing Boise State at 6:30 p.m. Both games will be streamed on ASU Live Stream-2.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Josh Fisher
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