April 27, 2013
Sunday, 3 p.m. PT | Live Stats | Blaze Radio | Pac-12 Network
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State softball won its first home series against California since the 2002 season with an explosive 11-0 routing in five innings on Saturday. Three home runs in the outing provided for eight of the night's runs.
The Sun Devils (41-7, 12-5 Pac-12) and California (35-11, 9-8 Pac-12) will close the series at 3 p.m. PT Sunday on the Pac-12 Network.
Mackenzie Popescue picked up the shutout win after retiring three batters in five innings in a shortened 11-0 victory for the series edge against 10th-ranked California. Nikki Owens falls to 2-1 with the loss.
Haley Steele kept ASU's home run momentum rolling from Friday night. The sophomore third baseman laced a three-run round tripper to left center that gave ASU a 3-0 lead in the first.
Putting up another five runs to their lead, 8-0, the Sun Devils used two more long balls in the bottom of the second to get ahead. Amber Freeman hit the second three-run homer of the game and Bethany Kemp followed with a two-run shot of her own.
With the three home runs to start Saturday, all 18 runs by that point in the California series were scored by ASU's nine homers.
In the bottom of the third, it was a single through the left side by Cheyenne Coyle that plated the first set of runs for Arizona State on a hit other than a homer. Coyle's two-RBI shot brought in both Abby and Mary Spiel. For the 11-0 cushion, Kemp singled in Bailey Wigness for her third RBI of the game.
Steele finished the game 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI. Kemp wasn't far behind, also 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run scored. The team's 11 runs were the most since tallying the same amount against Stanford on April 6.
UP NEXT
The series will also conclude on TV on the Pac-12 Network with a 3 p.m. PT first pitch Sunday.
NOTES
ASU is 37-2 when scoring first, 19-2 when scoring in first inning.
Haley Steele hit her ninth home run of the season, giving her 20 in her career.
Amber Freeman's homer in the second inning is her 29th of her career, 16th of the season.
Bethany Kemp's homer in the second is her eighth of the season.
With Steele's homer in the bottom of the first and Freeman and Kemp's in the second, ASU scored the first 18 runs on nine homers in the series against Cal, all consecutive at that point.
The Sun Devils are on a five-game home run streak dating back to April 19. ASU has hit 26 multiple home run games this season, including a single-game high, six, against California in the series opener April 26.
ASU has recorded double-digit run games on 12 occasions.
ASU is 12-5 against ranked teams in 2013.
Clint Myers is now 12-11 against California, 6-5 at home.
ASU has 16 mercy rule wins on the year, four in the Pac-12 (No. 23 Oregon State, No. 14 Stanford, No. 10 California twice).
MARKETING PROMOTIONS
Sunday, April 28, 3 p.m. PT [Televised on Pac-12 Network]
Kids in the Park Day
Postgame: Kids can run the bases
Sunday is Kids in the Park Day at Farrington Stadium. A FREE kids zone will be set up outside of the stadium with inflatables and face painters starting at 1:30 p.m. Bring the kids and join in the fun at ASU softball!
Remaining Softball TV Schedule
April 28 vs. California 3 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 3 at Arizona 6 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 4 at Arizona 6 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 5 at Arizona 3 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 10 vs. Oregon 5 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 11 vs. Oregon 5 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network