March 9, 2006
Santa Clara, Calif. - The #10 ASU Softball Team kicked off this weekend's action Thursday as they faced off in a doubleheader against the Santa Clara Broncos with the Devils taking the first game from the Broncos 9-0 in five innings and were headed in the same direction in the second game as it was rained out in the third inning with the Devils ahead 5-0, which will not count towards either team's records.
In the first game, the Devils found themselves again playing in cold and overcast weather and they started off slow as they were retired in order in the first and second innings before coming to life in the third as they drove in four runs after a lead-off walk to Rhiannon Baca followed with Sharee Zaleski reaching first on an error by the third baseman.
Baca was able to reach home with Michelle Smith's sacrifice bunt to first, and then the Devils' bats started talking as Jackie Vasquez singled to hit home Zaleski with Kaitlin Cochran stepping up to hit a single through the right side and with Vasquez and Cochran in scoring position Ashley Werschky singled to second driving in two runs for ASU bringing the score to 4-0 by the bottom of the third.
Santa Clara wasn't able to get anything rolling their way as Katie Burkhart picked up her ninth win of the season allowing only two hits and adding ten strikeouts to push her season total to 103.
The Devils sealed the game with a huge fourth inning as Rhiannon Baca lead-off with a walk, followed with another walk to Sharee Zaleski.
Jessica Mapes got in the batter's box next to lay down a sacrifice bunt to the third-baseman, which Mapes was able to reach first on an error, while scoring Baca.
With the top of the order up, Michelle Smith continued the inning for the Devils with a single to left-field tacking another run up for ASU.
With a single from Jackie Vasquez to advance the runner and another one to right-field from Kaitlin Cochran the Devils added two more to the score ending the inning with five more runs to set the score at 9-0 in the bottom of the fifth.
The Broncos had no answer for ASU though as the Devils allowed only three batters in the inning, with a strikeout for Burkhart followed by a walk, where the runner was later swept off the base-path as the Broncos catcher, Kate Goethals hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.
The second game started off well for the Devils as they added five runs to the board by the end of the second inning, with Desiree Serrano striking out four of the nine batters she faced.
The weather by the middle of the third became progressively worse as rain began to steadily fall subsequently causing the game to be stopped.
As the game was only in the third inning of play, it will not count towards either teams' records.
The Devils will rest up as they return to action tomorrow to begin pool play in the NIS Tournament in Sunnyvale, CA with a 2:00 p.m. game against Southern Illinois followed with a 6:00 p.m. game against UC Davis to decide who they will play in the beginning of bracket play Sunday.