March 23, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. - 22 hits, six for home runs and two one-hit pitched games for ASU kicked the No. 5 ASU Softball team back in gear Friday night as the Sun Devils won their two opening games of the Diamond Devil Invitational. ASU beat BYU 8-1 and Longwood 10-0 in six innings Friday in Tempe to push their record to 31-7 overall.
Game one gave Katie Burkhart the starting nod against the BYU Cougars, only needing 88 pitches to finish off the Cougars as she fanned 13 and allowed only one hit on the night. The Sun Devil offense found its legs again as well in the game grabbing five runs in the first inning with Bianca Cruz hitting a three-RBI single to clear the bases before Mindy Cowles stepped in to hit her first of two home runs on the day plating Cruz as well.
The Sun Devils added on three more in the third and fourth to wrap it up as Caylyn Carlson had a two-for-three with one run scored and two RBIs outing. Carlson hit her sixth homerun of the year in the third and hit a RBI single in the fourth to give ASU an 8-1 win over the Cougars.
Game two saw ASU go on a hitting spree against the Longwood Lancers rattling off 10 hits for 12 runs with four Sun Devil homeruns, one from Ashley Muenz and Mindy Cowles and two from Kaitlin Cochran to wrap the game in six innings.
Freshman Megan Elliott also pitched a one-hit game for the Sun Devils, with six strikeouts and only two batters walked to give ASU a quick 10-0 six inning win over the Longwood Lancers and advance ASU's record to 31-7 overall.
The Sun Devils return to action tomorrow as the Diamond Devil Invite continues. ASU will face the Illinois Fightin' Illini at 4:30 p.m. and the Longwood Lancers again at 7:00 p.m. at ASU's Farrington Stadium in Tempe.