TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State softball, powered by a pair of home runs, closed out the 2017 Kajikawa Classic Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 victory over UC Riverside at Farrington Stadium. The win pushed the Sun Devils to a perfect 7-0 start on the young season, and marked the first time since March 12, 2016 that ASU has enjoyed a seven game win streak.
"I will never complain about being 7-0," head coach Trisha Ford said. "I thought we found ourselves in a couple of adverse situations and some tight innings and I just wanted to see how we would respond. I was really proud with how that went and how the team rebounded back in those spots."
In her second start of the Kajikawa Classic, freshman Giselle Juarez tossed three shutout innings for the Sun Devils, striking out a season-high seven batters. It was smooth sailing for the Glendale-native, as she allowed just one hit while facing 11 UC Riverside batters.
Juarez was later replaced by freshman Alyssa Loza, who added two scoreless frames with one strikeout. Junior Dale Ryndak followed in the sixth, contributing two innings in her fourth appearance of the tournament, bringing her ERA to a low 0.82 through the first weekend of play.
"I thought Juarez came in and threw lights out," added Ford. "I think we will keep developing her and she will be somebody that we will all be excited to have here in Sun Devil land. Loza came in and hit that strike zone and Dale did what Dale does. We have to teach them how to come in and close games, but I think both of them have done a great job this weekend."
The first three innings of the match were relatively quiet for both teams as neither club managed to plate a run. It wasn't until redshirt-junior Marisa Stankiewicz sent one over the right field wall in the home half of the fourth to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. The homer was her first of the season and brought in her sixth RBI, a mark that is second on the team through the first seven games.
"In the beginning we were squaring up some balls, but they seemed to be right at people," Stankiewicz said. "I just wanted to get something started for our team. I was just trying to connect on the ball."
Margaret Stahm added a long ball of her own in the bottom of the fifth, a two-run shot that gave the ASU a four-run lead. Stahm would finish the afternoon 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
The Highlanders would attempt a comeback in the bottom half of the seventh, connecting on a solo-shot to right field, but Ryndak forced a pop out to end the threat and seal the victory for the Sun Devils.
ASU softball returns to action next weekend in the 2017 Littlewood Classic again held at Farrington Stadium. ASU will open the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday against Wichita State and Illinois State with first pitch times slated for 5:15 and 8:00 AZT, respectively. Fans can follow all of the action of the 2017 softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
"I will never complain about being 7-0," head coach Trisha Ford said. "I thought we found ourselves in a couple of adverse situations and some tight innings and I just wanted to see how we would respond. I was really proud with how that went and how the team rebounded back in those spots."
In her second start of the Kajikawa Classic, freshman Giselle Juarez tossed three shutout innings for the Sun Devils, striking out a season-high seven batters. It was smooth sailing for the Glendale-native, as she allowed just one hit while facing 11 UC Riverside batters.
Juarez was later replaced by freshman Alyssa Loza, who added two scoreless frames with one strikeout. Junior Dale Ryndak followed in the sixth, contributing two innings in her fourth appearance of the tournament, bringing her ERA to a low 0.82 through the first weekend of play.
"I thought Juarez came in and threw lights out," added Ford. "I think we will keep developing her and she will be somebody that we will all be excited to have here in Sun Devil land. Loza came in and hit that strike zone and Dale did what Dale does. We have to teach them how to come in and close games, but I think both of them have done a great job this weekend."
The first three innings of the match were relatively quiet for both teams as neither club managed to plate a run. It wasn't until redshirt-junior Marisa Stankiewicz sent one over the right field wall in the home half of the fourth to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. The homer was her first of the season and brought in her sixth RBI, a mark that is second on the team through the first seven games.
"In the beginning we were squaring up some balls, but they seemed to be right at people," Stankiewicz said. "I just wanted to get something started for our team. I was just trying to connect on the ball."
Margaret Stahm added a long ball of her own in the bottom of the fifth, a two-run shot that gave the ASU a four-run lead. Stahm would finish the afternoon 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored.
The Highlanders would attempt a comeback in the bottom half of the seventh, connecting on a solo-shot to right field, but Ryndak forced a pop out to end the threat and seal the victory for the Sun Devils.
ASU softball returns to action next weekend in the 2017 Littlewood Classic again held at Farrington Stadium. ASU will open the weekend with a doubleheader on Friday against Wichita State and Illinois State with first pitch times slated for 5:15 and 8:00 AZT, respectively. Fans can follow all of the action of the 2017 softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.