PHOENIX – Arizona State’s softball team came into a March series against Utah riding high with a 19-3 record and a No. 21 national ranking. All signs were positive heading into the Sun Devils’ first Big 12 matchup of the year, a three-game series on ASU’s home turf.
Then everything fell apart.
In the first game against the Utes, an extra-innings loss filled with errors was cause for concern, but there was still a level of calm in the Sun Devils’ camp. Utah turned calm into turmoil with a 15-0 win the following day, and then finished off a sweep with another lopsided win, this time 11-6.
Suddenly, ASU was gone from the national rankings.
“They came to play this weekend and we weren’t able to hold them down,” ASU coach Megan Bartlett said. “That’s a rough one, but we have to find a way to respond, which is the name of the game right now.”
What a difference a week can make.
ASU started its bounce back against UTEP with a 10-1 victory on March 10, regaining a bit of confidence. However the big test was yet to come: Oklahoma State, ranked No. 21 in the NFCA coaches poll and No.15 in the ESPN/USA Softball rankings at the time.
ASU hoped to prove that its adjustments in hitting, fielding and pitching could pay off. The Sun Devils proved that with vigor, taking two of three games from the Cowgirls.
The first game felt like deja vu as the Sun Devils were in a 2-2 tie going into the bottom of the seventh last Friday at Farrington Stadium in Tempe. Kenzie Brown threw seven innings and only allowed two runs while posting 14 strikeouts to bounce back from her rough outing against Utah.
Yet once again the Sun Devils had trouble scoring and extra innings loomed a week after ASU’s eighth inning collapse the week before in extra innings.
This time, however, the defense and pitching held strong. The Sun Devils committed no errors as opposed to three the week before. And instead of struggling, ASU’s Meika Lauppe got a scoreless inning.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kaylee Pond hammered a ball to right-center for a walk-off home run and brought fire back to the desert with a 3-2 win.
“Tonight’s win meant so much because I’m such a competitor,” Pond said. “We were 0-3 in conference after Utah and that’s not what we wanted. So, just getting our first win builds momentum, so we have to start stacking momentum and stacking wins right now.”
To continue that trajectory the following day and build on the previous win, ASU needed a big hit in the bottom of the sixth inning with the score tied, 4-4. Ryan Brown broke that tie with a go-ahead home run to put the Sun Devils up by a run, Lauppe fulfilled her end of the deal by keeping the Cowgirls’ bats at bay and ASU walked away with a 5-4 victory.
“This afternoon was awesome,” Lauppe said. “I’ve been wanting a game like this. What did it best for me is that coach John (Bargfeldt) and I have worked on not overthrowing my pitches.”
Now with Oklahoma State behind them, the Sun Devils look forward to this weekend’s three-game series against No.13/12 Arizona in Tucson. It is not only a rivalry game but another chance for ASU to build the momentum lost in the Utah series.
ASU is back to receiving votes in the national poll and if the momentum keeps rolling against Arizona, the Sun Devils could find themselves rising in the rankings and in the hunt for the Women’s College World Series.
In both wins against Oklahoma State, ASU had to come through in the clutch and, unlike the week before, the Sun Devils didn’t collapse. Fewer errors and timely hitting were key differences.
Instead of giving up free baserunners, ASU played tight defense. Rather than failing to capitalize on baserunners, the Sun Devils came through with clutch hits when it mattered the most.
“I’m super proud of these girls,” Bartlett said. “This has been a gritty series, so it’s a good feeling to earn the series win.”
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
