March 1, 2003
TEMPE, Ariz. - For the second straight night, the 10th-ranked Arizona State softball team (16-5) shutout UC Riverside 7-0, but fell to ninth-ranked Oklahoma, 6-0 at Farrington Stadium.
In the first inning against the Sooners, leadoff hitter Kelli Braitsch hit an inside the park home run when her fly ball to left field glanced off Keri Pulcifer's glove as it strayed into foul territory. The fly ball looked at first to be in foul territory when Pulcifer attempted the diving catch, but the third base umpire called it fair allowing Braitsch to round the bases. Oklahoma tagged on two more runs, one by Heather Scaglione and another by Jennifer Stump.
Oklahoma got to ASU starting pitcher Ashley Werschky again in the second when Erin Evans hit a solo home run to move the score to 4-0. Braitsch then sealed the game with her second home run, a two-run shot to center.
Werschky (3-1) suffered her first loss of the year, allowing five earned runs on 11 hits. Cheryl Evans finished the final two-thirds of the game and also had two of the Devils five hits. Kami Keiter locked up the Devils for the second straight game, limited ASU to five hits with six strikeouts.
Against UCR. The Devils jumped all over starting pitcher Nicole Bethurum for five runs in the first. After singles by Jennifer Forner and Kristin Farber, Kara Brun singled in one run and Evans another. Werschky followed with another RBI single, while Evans scored on an error by the first baseman. Carla Strege then pinch-hit and connected on a single to dive in the final run.
In the second, Farber reached first on an infield hit, but the throw to attempt to get her at first was late and wide as the ball went into right field, advancing Farber to second. Brun then doubled to right field, driving in Farber for the 5-0 lead.
ASU ended the scoring in the fifth with one more run. Werschky opened with a double, then advanced to third on a Jennifer McCard ground out to second. Forner followed with another ground out to shortstop, allowing Werschky to come home.
Desiree Serrano (10-3) earned the win allowing only three hits with six strikeouts. UCR's Bethurum took the loss, giving up 10 hits, six runs with only four earned.
Up next, Arizona State will face Oklahoma one more time on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and end the round robin games against Riverside at 3:00 p.m.