Holtje go-ahead homer provides the difference as Brown dominates in the circle
(Tempe, AZ) Sun Devil Softball closed out the 20th edition of the Kajikawa Classic with a super performance against California to earn a 6-4 win. The win secured the Kajikawa Classic title for the ninth time.
Lillian Holtje hit a go-ahead pinch-hit home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to provide the difference in the win. Kenzie Brown then closed the door in the seventh with Nehanda Lewis making a catch at the wall in left to cap a 3-1 weekend for the Sun Devils.
Cal – ranked No. 21 in the ESPN/USA Today poll – scored four runs in the top of the fourth to open the scoring. ASU quickly responded with three runs in the bottom of the frame behind a Kelsey Hall RBI single and a two-run knock from Ayden Allen.
Tanya Windle tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo shot to right for her second home run of the weekend. A pitch hit Takyla Davis to open the ASU sixth, and two batters later, Holtje delivered the heroics with the home run that was also her first career hit.
Brown entered the game with two outs and a runner on first in the Cal third. She proceeded to shut down the opposing offense, allowing one hit with five strikeouts the rest of the way for her first win of the season.
Windle had three hits and scored two runs. Hall and Allen added two hits apiece as the Sun Devils totaled 12 hits as a team.
Quotable
Outfielder Tanya Windle
On her home run in the bottom of the fifth:
“On that pitch, I was looking for something I could hunt in the zone. All weekend, I was chasing a lot of things that weren’t me. I wasn’t in the box the majority of the weekend, but I figured it out in that at-bat and this game today.”
Pitcher Kenzie Brown
On pitching in relief:
“It felt like, from the start, I had to win with my B game, but I took it as a challenge, and I ended up pulling it off. I feel like I am to the point in my career where I don’t feel it as pressure. I feel it as if I need to save my teammates, and I need to help my teammates because I know that they would do the same for me.”
Arizona State head coach Megan Bartlett
POn Holtje’s pinch-hit two-run home run and the future of the program:
“It makes my heart happy. The future of the program will be in good hands. Honestly, Lill is an excellent hitter. That’s why she came here, and then to see her just step up in such a big moment for her team, I’m just really excited. Not only about what the future of the program is going to be, but I think there’s just a special thing happening in the clubhouse. They’re starting to learn how to win and certainly creating a bond in there and a standard of how we should be competing. So we’re pretty excited.”
On Brown’s relief appearance:
“Kenzie is so talented. I think it’s pretty evident to see why losing her last season was just such a hard loss for the program. Kenzie just creates this air of calm, but at the same time, competitiveness. Her defense feels extremely confident when she’s on the mound. They’re moving a little easier. I think they’re able to make better decisions. Kenzie is a special one. It’s kind of that trust and that confidence that the team has in her.”
Up Next
ASU returns to action on Thursday when they open the Littlewood Classic against No. 23/23 Oregon at 6 p.m.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Paige Shacklett
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