April 13, 2013
SUNDAY 12 p.m. PT | Live Stats
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Arizona State softball team (37-5, 8-3 Pac-12) bounced back after a two-game losing streak to top Washington 7-1 in front of a sold out crowd of 2,088 on national television.
Washington moves to 32-11 overall and 10-4 in Pac-12 with the loss garnered by Bryana Walker (13-6). The two squads will bid for the series in the finale at noon on Sunday. Dallas Escobedo (20-4) picked up her 20th win of the season, her third 20+ win season of her career. With the victory she ties for third all-time at ASU in wins with 81 and 17th in single season wins (20).
Amber Freeman and Haley Steele each had two RBI in the contest while five Sun Devils picked up hits, including Steele, Coyle and Wigness each going 1-for-2.
Arizona State was first to strike on Saturday, punching in a run in the first inning for the 19th time this season. Bailey Wigness came in, unearned, following a single up the middle by Cheyenne Coyle.
Lucy Aubrecht stretched the lead after going long in the bottom of the second, putting ASU up 2-0. The home run was her fifth of the season. After a quiet third inning, the Sun Devils came up big in the fourth and plated five runs on just two hits.
In a two-out rally, Arizona State capitalized on a Washington error and Elizabeth Caporuscio's plate appearance, 3-0. Caporuscio was brought home on Amber Freeman's homer to right in the next at-bat. Coyle then reached by way of walk and scored on ASU's second homer of the frame, this time by Haley Steele for the 7-0 lead. All runs in the inning went unearned.
Escobedo and crew coasted to the seventh inning, retiring seven of the eight batters faced until Kylee Lahners homered to center to break up the shutout, 7-1. The ASU defense snagged the final two outs to close the books on Escobedo's three-hit victory, the ace fanning seven Huskies along the way.
UP NEXT
Series finale at 12 p.m. PT will not be on TV. Live radio is provided by Blaze Sports, here.
NOTES
Dallas Escobedo's win on Saturday is her 20th of the season, the third time she has recorded at least 20 wins.
ASU's three home runs bump the team to 70 on the year. The Sun Devils have homered in 35 of 42 games, 22 of those have been multiple-homer games. This was the eighth time this year ASU has had three or more homers in a game.
ASU is 17-2 when scoring in the first inning. They are 34-2 when scoring first/before their opponent.
This was the fourth time this year that ASU was walked at least nine times. Three of those games were Pac-12 opponents (UCLA 9; Stanford 10; Washington 9).
Escobedo is now tied for 17th in single-season ASU wins (20) and tied for third in career wins with 81.
Escobedo has 782 career strikeouts, just four shy of tying fourth all-time. Her 221 this season is 11th in single season marks.
Lucy Aubrecht's homer was her fifth of the season.
Haley Steele's homer was her eighth of the season and gives her 19 in her career, making her outright 17th in career records.
Amber Freeman's homer is her 14th of the season, tying Cheyenne Coyle for a team best. She now ties for 15th in single season marks and is tied for 11th in career homers with 27.
Freeman also ranks 19th all-time at ASU with 82 career RBI. Single season she breaks the Top 20 at 20 with 50 RBI.
Though Sam Parlich did not get a hit on Saturday, her two hits from Friday's game gives her 176 in her career, tied for 19th.
Marketing Promotions
Sunday: Family 4 Pack Night. Run the bases postgame.