April 6, 2005
TEMPE, Ariz. - The second-ranked Arizona Wildcats (29-3, 3-1 Pac-10) scored the only run of the game in the top of the first inning as they edged 17th-ranked Arizona State (26-10, 1-3 Pac-10), 1-0, Wednesday night in front of 1,094 fans at Farrington Stadium.
ASU Katie Burkhart (10-5) pitched an excellent game allowing only four hits and one unearned run with six strikeouts and no walks. Burkhart lowered her ERA to 0.75 and the opponent's batting average to .132. UA's Alicia Hollowell (18-2) also pitched a great game giving up only two hits with 15 strikeouts.
UA scored the only run of the game in the top of first inning off two ASU errors. Caitlin Lowe reached first on a catching error by first baseman Sharee Zaleski. Lowe hit a ground ball to shortstop Rhiannon Baca, but Zaleski dropped the ball as it came to first. Lowe then attempted to steal second, but catcher Heidi Knabe's throw to second was wild, hitting Lowe's foot as it went all the way to the center field fence scoring Lowe.
ASU had its only good chance to get the run back off Hollowell in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Valerie Sevilla hit her team-leading and Pac-10 leading 11 double down the right field line. Sevilla then moved third on a Hollowell wild pitch, but Knabe struck out swinging to end the threat.
Himmita Hixson made two nice catches in center field, one at the base of the fence off of a deep fly ball, while the other was a hard line drive with the bases loaded in the seventh inning.
Up next, the Sun Devils will host 25th-ranked Oregon on Friday at 7:00 p.m.