March 9, 2012
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Arizona State softball team (23-2) continued the 19-game win streak after beating Valparaiso and East Carolina with final scores of 6-2 and 9-1 (6) respectively on the opening day of the Diamond Devil Invitational.
GAME ONE: Arizona State 6, Valparaiso 2
The Devils kept a steady tempo in the start, with four hits in the opening inning throwing two on the board, followed by a sacrifice fly from Katelyn Boyd in the second that scored one. Valpo kept pace with ASU, helped by an RBI single from Brittany Duncan in the first and a home run from Jessie Marinec in the second to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
Both teams remained at a standstill through two frames before back-to-back home runs from Annie Lockwood and Elizabeth Caporuscio widened the lead to three runs at 5-2. The long-yarders were Lockwood’s fifth and Caporuscio’s ninth on the season.
Alix Johnson sealed the deal with a double that drove in Boyd and notched what would be the final score of 6-2. Hillary Bach improves to 10-0 on the year with the win, and Crusader pitcher Sam McGee is 5-3 after taking the loss.
GAME TWO: Arizona State 9, East Carolina 1 (6)
ASU stayed hot through the second game, batting around the order in both the first and second innings. The Devils scored four runs on six hits in the opening frame, including Johnson’s fourth home run this year that scored two. The second frame saw another four runs off of five singles, two of which came on loaded bases.
East Carolina came to life in the third, with a base hit from Suzanne Riggs plating Chelsea Kaluhiokalani-Glackin, but it was not enough when Boyd came up in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI to bring home Talor Haro and score the final run for the 9-1 mercy rule after six frames.
Lucy Aubrecht set a new career high of three hits in a single game and Lockwood saw a season-high four hits in the contest. Mackenzie Popescue improved to 5-1 overall with the win.
UP NEXT:
The Sun Devils continue the Diamond Devil Invitational on Saturday evening, facing the Pacific Tigers at 5:30 p.m. (subject to change). The game will be broadcast of FoxSportsArizona.com.