TEMPE, Ariz. -- Following a tough weekend at No. 6 Washington, the 21st- ranked Arizona State softball team (21-8) snapped a three-game slide Wednesday afternoon with a pair of wins over New Mexico State (10-16) at Farrington Stadium.
"We needed to rebound from this past weekend and it was good for us to come out and get two wins," said head coach Trisha Ford. "I thought our energy today was not good. Obviously I am very happy with the wins, we could be in a much different place."
In the pair of wins, the Sun Devils recorded their sixth multi home run game of the season, and matched a season high with three home runs in the second of the two games Wednesday afternoon. The back-to-back wins also marked the first time that the Sun Devils have swept a same-day doubleheader against the same team since April 7, 2015 when the Sun Devils defeated UTEP in back-to-back games.
Game One: ASU 5, NMSU 2
The first game of the afternoon began as a back-and-forth affair, with New Mexico State starting the scoring in their half of the first inning. The Aggies scratched an unearned run across the plate through two singles and a passed ball. However, senior Sashel Palacios would start the home half of the second inning off with a bang, sending the second pitch of her at-bat over the left field wall to knot the game up at one apiece.
NMSU retaliated two innings later, scoring a run with two outs off two singles and a sac bunt. Starter Breanna Macha locked in to induce a fly out for out number three, and her offense pulled through in the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman Brianna Wise tripled to center field and would score off a passed ball, Making it a 2-1 lead for the Devils. ASU would tack on another when Palacios worked a bases-loaded walk to grab a two-run lead going into the sixth frame.
ASU wasn't done yet, however, as the Devils loaded the bases again in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Skylar McCarty and senior Chelsea Gonzales would each work bases-loaded walks, bringing the score to the final 5-2.
Palacios and Wise would both notch two-hit games for the Maroon and Gold, with Palacios knocking in two RBI and Wise scoring two runs.
The one-two combo of juniors Macha and Dale Ryndak locked down the circle for the Devils, with Macha earning the start, her 11th of the season. The righty kept the Aggies off-balance all afternoon, using just 67 pitches to scatter six hits over six innings of work. Macha limited NMSU to one earned run, lowering her season ERA to a impressively low 1.61.
Ryndak took over for Macha at the top of the seventh, working around a leadoff walk to record two strikeouts and a fielder's choice to close the book on a Sun Devil victory.
Game Two: ASU 7, NMSU 3
Oddly enough, the Sun Devils would again use a bases-loaded free pass to get on the board in game two. In the bottom of the second, Gonzales roped a leadoff double to center field and would cross the plate when three-straight ASU batters earned walks.
The Aggies would take the lead in the proceeding inning, hitting starter Giselle Juarez for two runs, one earned, off three hits, a walk and a passed ball, prompting Ford to call to the bullpen with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryndak would answer, inducing a fly out to limit the damage.
Again showing resiliency, the Devils' offense snatched the lead in their very next chance, with McCarty sparking a rally with an infield single. Freshman Randi Farricker sent a pitch over the center field wall, her third home run of the season. Gonzales would follow Farricker's dinger with one of her own to put he Sun Devils up 4-2.
"The young players on this team are representing," said Palacios. "For this being their first year, they are really representing this team well. That is something I had to work on and learn in my four-years here, is how to be aggressive and attack. I feel like this group, especially Randi, have just come in and started blasting balls left and right and it is so exciting to see."
NMSU would push another unearned run across the plate in the top of the fourth, but Ryndak would shut down their offense, retiring nine of the final 12 batters she faced over the last three innings of the game.
Palacios sent her second homerun of the day over the left field wall in the fifth, this time a two-run shot, and Farricker would work yet another bases-loaded walk in the sixth to bring the score to the final, 7-3.
Ryndak was again a bright spot for the Devils, locking in to allow just one unearned run through three hits in 4.1 innings. She was supported on the other side of the diamond by Gonzales, who notched a three-hit game while scoring three runs and knocking in a RBI.
The Devils return to play this weekend when they host Oregon State. The three-game series is set for March 25-27, with first pitches scheduled for 2 p.m., 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. All three games are scheduled to be televised on Pac-12 Network. Fans can also follow all of the action on Twitter by following @ASUSoftball.
"We needed to rebound from this past weekend and it was good for us to come out and get two wins," said head coach Trisha Ford. "I thought our energy today was not good. Obviously I am very happy with the wins, we could be in a much different place."
In the pair of wins, the Sun Devils recorded their sixth multi home run game of the season, and matched a season high with three home runs in the second of the two games Wednesday afternoon. The back-to-back wins also marked the first time that the Sun Devils have swept a same-day doubleheader against the same team since April 7, 2015 when the Sun Devils defeated UTEP in back-to-back games.
Game One: ASU 5, NMSU 2
The first game of the afternoon began as a back-and-forth affair, with New Mexico State starting the scoring in their half of the first inning. The Aggies scratched an unearned run across the plate through two singles and a passed ball. However, senior Sashel Palacios would start the home half of the second inning off with a bang, sending the second pitch of her at-bat over the left field wall to knot the game up at one apiece.
NMSU retaliated two innings later, scoring a run with two outs off two singles and a sac bunt. Starter Breanna Macha locked in to induce a fly out for out number three, and her offense pulled through in the bottom of the fifth.
Freshman Brianna Wise tripled to center field and would score off a passed ball, Making it a 2-1 lead for the Devils. ASU would tack on another when Palacios worked a bases-loaded walk to grab a two-run lead going into the sixth frame.
ASU wasn't done yet, however, as the Devils loaded the bases again in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore Skylar McCarty and senior Chelsea Gonzales would each work bases-loaded walks, bringing the score to the final 5-2.
Palacios and Wise would both notch two-hit games for the Maroon and Gold, with Palacios knocking in two RBI and Wise scoring two runs.
The one-two combo of juniors Macha and Dale Ryndak locked down the circle for the Devils, with Macha earning the start, her 11th of the season. The righty kept the Aggies off-balance all afternoon, using just 67 pitches to scatter six hits over six innings of work. Macha limited NMSU to one earned run, lowering her season ERA to a impressively low 1.61.
Ryndak took over for Macha at the top of the seventh, working around a leadoff walk to record two strikeouts and a fielder's choice to close the book on a Sun Devil victory.
Game Two: ASU 7, NMSU 3
Oddly enough, the Sun Devils would again use a bases-loaded free pass to get on the board in game two. In the bottom of the second, Gonzales roped a leadoff double to center field and would cross the plate when three-straight ASU batters earned walks.
The Aggies would take the lead in the proceeding inning, hitting starter Giselle Juarez for two runs, one earned, off three hits, a walk and a passed ball, prompting Ford to call to the bullpen with two outs and the bases loaded. Ryndak would answer, inducing a fly out to limit the damage.
Again showing resiliency, the Devils' offense snatched the lead in their very next chance, with McCarty sparking a rally with an infield single. Freshman Randi Farricker sent a pitch over the center field wall, her third home run of the season. Gonzales would follow Farricker's dinger with one of her own to put he Sun Devils up 4-2.
"The young players on this team are representing," said Palacios. "For this being their first year, they are really representing this team well. That is something I had to work on and learn in my four-years here, is how to be aggressive and attack. I feel like this group, especially Randi, have just come in and started blasting balls left and right and it is so exciting to see."
NMSU would push another unearned run across the plate in the top of the fourth, but Ryndak would shut down their offense, retiring nine of the final 12 batters she faced over the last three innings of the game.
Palacios sent her second homerun of the day over the left field wall in the fifth, this time a two-run shot, and Farricker would work yet another bases-loaded walk in the sixth to bring the score to the final, 7-3.
Ryndak was again a bright spot for the Devils, locking in to allow just one unearned run through three hits in 4.1 innings. She was supported on the other side of the diamond by Gonzales, who notched a three-hit game while scoring three runs and knocking in a RBI.
The Devils return to play this weekend when they host Oregon State. The three-game series is set for March 25-27, with first pitches scheduled for 2 p.m., 7 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively. All three games are scheduled to be televised on Pac-12 Network. Fans can also follow all of the action on Twitter by following @ASUSoftball.