Palm Springs, Claif.-- No. 19 Arizona State Softball defeated Texas Saturday afternoon on the Sun Devils' second day of play at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic hosted at the BIg League Field of Dreams.
Junior pitcher Dale Ryndak and Freshman Giselle Juarez provided the Sun Devils with a solid performance in the circle, en route to ASU's 11th win of the season.
The Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead, plating the game's first run with a Fa Leilua RBI single with two away in the top of the first. The ASU bats would not be done, however, as the Sun Devils would add two more runs in the second when Skylar McCarty lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored both Taylor Becerra and Nichole Chilson and gave ASU a 3-0 lead heading to the third.
The Sun Devils continued to press in the third, adding three more runs on four hits to extend the Sun Devil lead to 6-0 heading to the home half of the frame.
The Longhorns would respond with their first run of the game in the bottom of the third, but the Sun Devils bounced back with back-to-back homers by Miranda Farricker and Margaret Stahm
in the fourth to extend the ASU lead to 8-1.
Following a one-run, two-hit fourth, the Sun Devils added another run in the sixth off a solo-shot by Leilua, marking the first three-homerun game by the Sun Devils since connecting on three against Washington on April, 10, 2016.
The Longhorns did come to life in the bottom of the sixth, plating four-runs on four-hits to cut the Sun Devil lead to 9-6, and prompting Ford to call on Juarez to come in and close out the game.
The Freshman delivered, retiring the final four batters of the game, to wrap the 9-6 ASU victory, and recorded her first collegiate save.
The Sun Devils will be back in action tomorrow to close out the 2017 Marry Nutter Clasiic. ASU will begin the day with a 3 p.m. game against UC Santa Barbara before ending the weekend with a 5:30 tilt against No. 14 Michigan. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2017 softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
Junior pitcher Dale Ryndak and Freshman Giselle Juarez provided the Sun Devils with a solid performance in the circle, en route to ASU's 11th win of the season.
The Sun Devils jumped out to an early lead, plating the game's first run with a Fa Leilua RBI single with two away in the top of the first. The ASU bats would not be done, however, as the Sun Devils would add two more runs in the second when Skylar McCarty lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that scored both Taylor Becerra and Nichole Chilson and gave ASU a 3-0 lead heading to the third.
The Sun Devils continued to press in the third, adding three more runs on four hits to extend the Sun Devil lead to 6-0 heading to the home half of the frame.
The Longhorns would respond with their first run of the game in the bottom of the third, but the Sun Devils bounced back with back-to-back homers by Miranda Farricker and Margaret Stahm
in the fourth to extend the ASU lead to 8-1.
Following a one-run, two-hit fourth, the Sun Devils added another run in the sixth off a solo-shot by Leilua, marking the first three-homerun game by the Sun Devils since connecting on three against Washington on April, 10, 2016.
The Longhorns did come to life in the bottom of the sixth, plating four-runs on four-hits to cut the Sun Devil lead to 9-6, and prompting Ford to call on Juarez to come in and close out the game.
The Freshman delivered, retiring the final four batters of the game, to wrap the 9-6 ASU victory, and recorded her first collegiate save.
The Sun Devils will be back in action tomorrow to close out the 2017 Marry Nutter Clasiic. ASU will begin the day with a 3 p.m. game against UC Santa Barbara before ending the weekend with a 5:30 tilt against No. 14 Michigan. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2017 softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.