March 9, 2013
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TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State softball (23-1) put up a combined 13 runs in the first innings of the doubleheader games against Pittsburgh (9-8) on Saturday night. Scoring early helped the Sun Devils mercy rule the Panthers 10-0 (5) in game one and 8-2 in the night cap. Head coach Clint Myers earned his 400th win of his career at Arizona State with Saturday's second victory.
Mackenzie Popescue got her 10th win of the season in game one's 10-0 mercy rule in five innings. Dallas Escobedo followed with a 15-strikeout performance in the nightcap. The Sun Devils outscored Pitt 18-2 in both games combined and helped Clint Myers earn his 400th win as a Division I coach.
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**Sunday March 10 is Daylight Savings. The Tempe area of Arizona does not change the clocks, rather we will switch to the Pacific Time zone.
Pair of wins against Pitt on Saturday, two more games on Sunday. 11:30 a.m. UC Davis and 2 p.m. New Mexico State thesundevils.com/sports/w-softb... @asu
-- ASU Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 10, 2013
GAME ONE: ASU 10, Pitt 0 (5)
After not playing on Friday due to weather, the Sun Devils came off five days of rest to post six runs in their first inning of play of the Diamond Devil Invitational. Alix Johnson scored, unearned, on a Pitt throwing error for the first run of the game.
Elizabeth Caporuscio went yard for her third homer of the year, a three-run shot to dead center. Two additional runs came in, unearned, before the Sun Devils closed the inning up 6-0 after batting around the lineup.
An insurance run came in for the Sun Devils in the bottom of the second with Haley Steele scoring on yet another Pitt miscue, 7-0. In the third, Arizona State extended its lead to 10-0 after Caporuscio again came up big, this time with bases loaded to score Johnson and Cheyenne Coyle on a single to center. Abby Spiel scored the 10th run on Bethany Kemp's single up the middle.
Mackenzie Popescue is now 10-0 with the win, striking out two in 4.0 innings. Alexis Cooper closed the final frame for ASU and fanned one Panther batter. Savannah King garners the loss for Pitt, dropping her to 5-5 on the year.
Caporuscio finished a team-best 2-for-3 at the dish, with a homer and five RBI.
Milestone Alert: @asusoftball got two wins tonight, lifting Coach Clint Myers to win #400. Congrats! #d1softball
-- NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) March 10, 2013
GAME TWO: ASU 8, Pitt 2
The Sun Devils put seven runs on the board in the first inning to start with another commanding lead on Saturday night. Johnson scored her second run of the game in the top of the third, coming in on Amber Freeman's single to right center, 8-0.
Coyle homered in the first inning, her ninth of the season which is also tops on the club. She finished the game 3-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored.
Dallas Escobedo was pitching a perfect game through two complete frames and mowed down the first seven batters she faced, swinging. Jenna Makis came in to pitch during the fifth inning with the Devils lead 8-0 and looking for a mercy rule.
Pitt went off for solo homers in the fifth and sixth, staving off a run rule and closed the gap at 8-2. Escobedo would come back in to pitch during the sixth and continued to roll, getting three more strikeouts. She would finish the game with 15 total strikeouts for her 12th win of the year (12-1). Clint Myers earned his 400th career win behind the 8-2 victory and is now the third ASU softball coach to reach the milestone.
ASU held on to the 8-2 advantage through the final frame. Pittsburgh's Alexa Larkin went the distance in the loss, striking out five while falling to 4-3.
Clint Myers got his 400th win, check out the video ow.ly/iGozk @thesundevils @ncaasoftball @nfcaorg @asausasoftball @espnu
— ASU Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 10, 2013
Notes
Elizabeth Caporuscio's homer in game one of the twin-bill was her third of the season and 19th of her career.
Cheyenne Coyle picked up her ninth homer of the year during the second game of the double header. She leads the Sun Devils in homers this season.
Clint Myers picked up his 400th win with Sun Devil softball on Saturday against Pittsburgh. He is the third head coach in program history and joins both of the former coaches in the 400-win club. ASU softball's coach with the most wins was Linda Wells, who had a 561-415 record in 16 years. Myers is 400-91 all-time at the Division I level, which he has amassed in his eight years at Arizona State, since 2006.
As of Friday, Myers ranked second among Division I winningest active coaches with a .814 win percentage. He only trails behind in-state rival Mike Candrea of Arizona. In win/loss percentage since Myers joined Arizona State, 2006, the skipper is third, also with a .814 win percentage. He marks the highest Pac-12 school ranked in that category in that time frame, and one of just three in the top 10.