Sun Devils keep pace in Big 12 race by winning series opener
(Tempe, AZ) Third and sixth inning theatrics by Sun Devil Softball led to a game one 5-0 victory and the demise of Baylor and their six-game win streak on Thursday evening at Farrington Stadium.
After two innings of quiet, Arizona State (32-15, 12-7 Big 12) caused a commotion in the third inning as Takyla Davis hit a home run for the early lead. Tiare Ho-Ching made it to first on an error, and Yannixa Acuña got a hit before RBIs from Ashleigh Mejia and Tanya Windle pushed the advantage to 3-0.
The Maroon and Gold found life once again in the sixth inning with Windle scoring on an RBI double from Ayden Allen. Samantha Swan then drove home Allen for a 5-0 lead.
In the end, seven Sun Devils had a hit in ASU’s nine-hit evening. Windle and Acuña led the group with two hits apiece.
Kenzie Brown secured her fourth shutout of the season with nine strikeouts, moving her record to 17-4. She allowed just three hits while holding Baylor to 1-for-10 hitting with runners on base.
NOTABLES
- Davis hit her third home run of the season. Her other two homers came against Miami and Iowa State.
- Windle had her 17th multi-hit game of the season and her fourth in the last five outings.
- Since going 1-for-12 over five games to begin April, Windle is 9-for-16 in the last five games.
- Ho-Ching doubled in the sixth to extend her hitting streak to seven. She has also reached base in 16 consecutive games.
- Mejia picked up an RBI to give her a run driven in in eight of the last 10 games.
- Brown recorded her 10th complete game of the season, becoming just the second Sun Devil with 10-plus CGs since 2018.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Megan Bartlett
On what has changed this year to help them find success
“We’ve got healthy kids. This group in particular, though, the freshmen are our first true recruiting class, and they’ve been amazing. And certainly their level of commitment, just buying in, and how hard these kids have worked. Some of it was getting the right kids in the right place at the right time, some of it is just when and where I took over at the program, and it was just going to take some time.”
On what she saw in her team’s ability to execute with the small-ball play
“I thought we did a nice job tonight. We knew it was going to be a night like that, to be fair. So happy that TK hit that home run, and the reality is that Lily Walker does not give up a lot of those. She’s a very tough left-hander and extremely seasoned. So, we knew before the game that we were going to have to fly down the line, hustle, be smart on the bases, and make good use of down balls. And we executed really well tonight. I was really proud of how our team played today.”
UP NEXT
The Sun Devils continue their series against the Bears as they face off again Friday evening at 6 p.m. The first 500 fans through the gates will receive a free t-shirt.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Josh Fisher
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