May 12, 2007
TEMPE, Ariz. - Kristen Miller's fifth inning grand slam and Katie Burkhart's third straight complete game effort combined on Saturday afternoon at Farrington Stadium to launch the No. 9 Sun Devil Softball team 7-4 past the visiting No. 13 UCLA Bruins. The win clinched the series over the Bruins, the first time an ASU softball squad has done so since 1980. ASU is now 49-15 overall and 13-8 in the Pac-10 with UCLA falling to 36-16 overall and 12-9 in conference action.
The Sun Devils won the footrace to the scoreboard first as Kaitlin Cochran dug in for her first at-bat of the game to take a 1-1 pitch deep to right center for her 18th long ball of the season, to give the Devils the 1-0 edge. The home run also broke the ASU single-season record for home runs of 17, a mark set by Cochran and teammate Mindy Cowles in the 2006 season.
UCLA answered the run in the top half of the second though with Julie Burney launching a solo shot over left center to knot it at 1-1. The Bruins then went on a tear in the fourth as the added three to their tally as Katie Burkhart hit three batters and walked a fourth to bring in a run before Tara Henry singled to right to bring in two more and leave the score a 4-1.
The Sun Devils decided it wasn't over in the fifth though as back-to-back walks and an error loaded the bases with no outs as junior catcher Kristen Miller stepped up and crushed a 0-1 pitch deep to left center for her first career grand slam for her 11th home run of the season to up the Sun Devils 7-4.
Katie Burkhart came in to slam the door on the Bruins as she allowed only one more hit through the sixth and seventh inning to take her 30th win of the season, tying her mark for wins last year and three shy of the single-season ASU record of 33 held by former All-American pitcher, Erica Beach. The win also clinched ASU's second-place spot in Pac-10 standings, their highest conference finish since they took second in 1991.
The game wrapped the regular season for the Sun Devils who will find out tomorrow where the NCAA postseason will take them. All family, friends, fans and media are welcome to join their Selection Show party from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Jilly's in Chandler on N 45th Street.