FULLERTON – The No. 19 Arizona State University softball team swept the final day of the Judi Garman Classic behind the arms of some exceptional pitching and the bat of Nikki Girard, taking down perennial contender Northwestern, 2-1, before knocking off No. 24 Baylor in the tournament finale, 2-0.
Kelsey Kessler pitched 11.0 innings, earning the victory in both games with a complete game effort against Northwestern before pitching four scoreless innings in relief against Baylor. On the day, Kessler struck out nine, walked none and allowed just a single earned run.
Dale Ryndak started the game against Baylor but took a hard liner to the knee on the very first batter she faced. It was the only hit she allowed as she took care of business for the next nine outs, holding the potent Bears off the board and setting the table for Kessler.
Nikki Girard was the star of the day on the offensive end as she was 3-for-6 overall with all three of those hits resulting in an RBI, including what would end up being the game-winning single against Northwestern and a solo insurance homer against Baylor.
The Sun Devils (18-5) will return to action next weekend at home to host the 2016 Louisville Slugger Invitational beginning Friday, March 11 in Tempe, Ariz.
Full recaps from today’s victories can be found below.
ASU 2, #24 Baylor 0
Dale Ryndak and Kelsey Kessler combined to post a two-hit shutout as the Arizona State softball team closed out the Judi Garman Classic with a 2-0 victory over 24th-ranked Baylor.
Nikki Girard drove in a run with her one-out single in the bottom of the first before adding a two-out solo shot off the foul post in the fifth to provide all the offense the Sun Devils would need to pick up their 18th victory of the season and second win over a Top-25 team.
Dale Ryndak earned the start for the Sun Devils and pitched three efficient and scoreless innings despite taking a leadoff single off her knee in the first inning. Ryndak gutted through the pain for the next nine outs, however, putting down the Bears in order in the top of the third before coming out of the game in favor of Kessler.
Kessler pitched 4.0 innings of relief as she allowed just one hit while fanning four, perhaps none more important than in that fourth inning when Baylor manufactured the tying run 60 feet way on the heels of a hit batter and an error. Kessler caught Ari Hawkins looking for the final out of the inning to get out of the jam and essentially cruised through the next three innings, putting the Baylor side down in order twice in that span including the final three batters of the game.
Nikki Girard did the rest of the work on offense. After singles from Taylor Becerra and Fa Leilua in the first, Girard drove the former across with her 17th hit this season with a runner in scoring position. In doing so, Girard surpassed her 2015 season total of 16 hits with runners in scoring position.
A couple innings later, Girard stepped up to the plate with two outs on the board in the fifth and launched her fourth dinger of the year off the foul post in left to give ASU an insurance run and the momentum to close out the game.
Jessie Scroggins got both hits for the Bears, both coming on leadoff infield singles in the first and sixth innings. The rest of the Baylor lineup went 0-for-21 with four strikeouts and no walks.
ASU 2, Northwestern 1
It wasn’t always pretty, but the Kelsey Kessler did was she needed to do as she scattered 10 hits but allowed just a single run as ASU took down Northwestern, 2-1, in the first game of the morning.
Fa Leilua knocked a pinch hit solo homer in the second inning and Nikki Girard hit a two-out, RBI single through the left side in the bottom of the third to give Kessler all the offensive backup she would need.
The junior hurler struck out five and walked none and did just enough with runners on base to keep the Wildcats from evening things up after ASU took the lead for good in the third.
The biggest threat of the game came in the top of the second as NU loaded the bases with just one out, but Kessler got a popup and a groundout to escape the threat.
That would set up Leilua in the bottom half of the inning and the freshman delivered when her number was called with her fifth homer of the season and an early 1-0 lead for ASU.
Northwestern’s Andrea Filler wasted no time squaring the game up as she squared up on one in the top of the third and sent it over the wall on a full count for a solo blast to make it a 1-1 ball game.
The Devils made up for it in the bottom half of the inning, however, as Jenn Soria drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third with two outs. That brought Girard to the plate and she played hero for the first time on the day with a single to bring Soria home and give ASU the only other run it would need in the game.
Northwestern had a chance to tie it in the top of the fourth but Brooke Marquez was gunned down at the plate by Nichole Chilson in left field following a Sabrina Rabin single to keep ASU on top.
That would be the last threat for the Wildcats as no runner would move to scoring position for the remainder of the contest.