TEMPE ? The No. 22 Arizona State softball team drew eight walks and scored nine runs on just four ?hits to defeat East Carolina, 9-1, in five innings on Saturday night at Farrington Stadium.
Jenn Soria played a prominent role once again in leading the Sun Devils to their fourth win of the season. Soria went 2-for-2 with two runs, two walks and two RBI ? the second coming as she laid down a bunt single to drive in Avi Davis for the game-ending run.
Ways ASU has won this year: ✓ Walk-off error ✓ Walk-off passed ball ✓ Walk-off safety squeeze. #TakesAllSorts https://t.co/EZ3zCVVA4Z
? Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) February 14, 2016
The Sun Devils picked up their first run rule victory in the first four games of the season, a feat it took ASU 16 games last season to reach. The Sun Devils have also already matched last season's longest winning streak at four games.
ASU's pitching was stellar once again as Dale Ryndak and Kelsey Kessler combined to strike out seven, allowing just two hits with no earned runs and no walks.
Ryndak pitched three innings, struck out three with no earned runs allowed to pick up her first win of the season. Kessler faced eight batters and struck out four while only allowing one hit in two innings of relief.
ASU (4-0) got things started early, scoring five runs in the first inning despite an hour and forty-five minute delay as earlier games of the tournament ran late,
Soria and Abby Spiel reached base on walks and Katee Aguirre singled to left field, scoring Soria for the first run of the game. After a Nichole Chilson walk to load the bases, ECU pitcher Lydia Ritchie was pulled from the game for Ashley Cruise after only seeing four Sun Devils at the plate.
Sashel Palacios walked in a run right away before Chelsea Gonzales smashed a double to deep center field that brought in Aguirre and Chilson, giving the Sun Devils a 4-0 lead in the first.
Taylor Becerra, the last batter in the order, also reached base on a walk, as the Sun Devils went through the batting order in the first inning. Soria was back up to bat with the bases loaded and two outs. She walked for the second time in the inning, scoring Palacios to extend the lead 5-0.
Soria was the first batter up for ASU in the bottom of the fourth and singled to right field, then stole second and reached third on a wild pitch. Spiel reached on an infield single before Allie Butterfield pinch hit for Aguirre and reached on an error, scoring Soria and advancing Spiel to third and ASU extended its lead to 6-1.
Palacios would score Spiel on a ground out to second after another Pirates pitching change. Butterfield would come around to score on a wild pitch and the Sun Devils led 8-1 after four.
ASU came up to bat needing to score one in the bottom of the fifth to run-rule the Pirates.
Skylar McCarty walked after pinch hitting for Nikki Girard and moved up to third on an error by East Carolina shortstop Casey Alcorn as Margaret Stahm reached first. Avi Davis came in to pinch run for Stahm and stole second. Brynley Steele made her first appearance of the game and reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to second as McCarty was tagged out at home. This set up Davis on third as Soria came to the plate.
Soria laid down the perfect squeeze bunt and the Pirate defense was unable to react in time as Davis easily reached home to put the eight-run rule into effect.
The Sun Devils return to action tomorrow in a doubleheader beginning with Portland State at 1:30 p.m. MT and San Diego at 3:45 p.m., as the Kajikawa Classic continues at Farrington Stadium.