TEMPE, Ariz. – In their series-opening matchup against Minnesota, pitcher G Juarez's stellar outing and three home runs propelled No. 14 Arizona State softball over Minnesota, 6-0, on Friday night at Farrington Stadium. The win came in front of 1374 fans, a new season-high for the Sun Devils in 2018.
"Having the support we have here is a blessing," head coach Trisha Ford Said. "Our fans are starting to see what we are putting on the field and how great of a group of women we have and what they are doing both on and off the field. We keep trying to build, and the old saying is 'if you build it they will come'. Our fans have been very supportive here and to see them show out like they did tonight really means a lot to us."
Much like she has been all season long, Juarez gave the Devils every opportunity to take the victory in her ninth start on the season. The sophomore struck out the first two batters she faced and then allowed a two-out double, but locked in soon after.
Juarez racked up 13 strikeouts on the evening, tying her career-high set earlier this season, to secure her fifth-straight game with 10+ strikeouts, totaling 93 K's on the season. That total is good for third in the conference.
On the other side of the diamond, ASU relied on the long ball to record their victory, with Morgan Howe and Danielle Gibson sending one over the wall in the first two innings of play. Howe's homerun put the Devils up 1-0 in the first inning and Gibson followed with a first-pitch homerun of her own in the second inning to tack one on to ASU's total.
ASU threatened offensively again in the bottom of the third, as Howe knocked a single through the left side and Chilson capitalized on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with just one out. Gibson stepped into the box and came through with yet another home run, this time an opposite field knock over the wall to grant ASU three more insurance runs and a 5-0 lead.
Juarez entered the circle in the fourth and threw a clean inning. The Devils added another run in the home half of the frame, with Bella Loomis and Kindra Hackbarth knocking back-to-back singles to leadoff the inning. Howe grounded one to the shortstop and drew the throw, allowing Loomis to score from third and give ASU a 6-0 lead.
With the game winding down toward the end, Juarez finished up her outing on a high note. After allowing a leadoff walk in the sixth – her first baserunner since a two-out double in the first inning – Juarez recorded two-straight outs to set the Gophers down without any damage. She walked out to the circle and set Minnesota down in the final frame to secure her fourth-straight scoreless outing and fifth-straight game with double-digit strikeouts.
"We talked about this series being a great way to get ready for conference play," Ford added. "This is an unconventional three-game series, but it still a three game series. I am looking forward to how we come out on Sunday."
The Sun Devils pick up their three-game series on Sunday in a doubleheader. First pitch for game two is set for 2 p.m. local time and the finale for 4 p.m. Follow all of the action from the 2018 season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
"Having the support we have here is a blessing," head coach Trisha Ford Said. "Our fans are starting to see what we are putting on the field and how great of a group of women we have and what they are doing both on and off the field. We keep trying to build, and the old saying is 'if you build it they will come'. Our fans have been very supportive here and to see them show out like they did tonight really means a lot to us."
Much like she has been all season long, Juarez gave the Devils every opportunity to take the victory in her ninth start on the season. The sophomore struck out the first two batters she faced and then allowed a two-out double, but locked in soon after.
Juarez racked up 13 strikeouts on the evening, tying her career-high set earlier this season, to secure her fifth-straight game with 10+ strikeouts, totaling 93 K's on the season. That total is good for third in the conference.
On the other side of the diamond, ASU relied on the long ball to record their victory, with Morgan Howe and Danielle Gibson sending one over the wall in the first two innings of play. Howe's homerun put the Devils up 1-0 in the first inning and Gibson followed with a first-pitch homerun of her own in the second inning to tack one on to ASU's total.
ASU threatened offensively again in the bottom of the third, as Howe knocked a single through the left side and Chilson capitalized on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with just one out. Gibson stepped into the box and came through with yet another home run, this time an opposite field knock over the wall to grant ASU three more insurance runs and a 5-0 lead.
Juarez entered the circle in the fourth and threw a clean inning. The Devils added another run in the home half of the frame, with Bella Loomis and Kindra Hackbarth knocking back-to-back singles to leadoff the inning. Howe grounded one to the shortstop and drew the throw, allowing Loomis to score from third and give ASU a 6-0 lead.
With the game winding down toward the end, Juarez finished up her outing on a high note. After allowing a leadoff walk in the sixth – her first baserunner since a two-out double in the first inning – Juarez recorded two-straight outs to set the Gophers down without any damage. She walked out to the circle and set Minnesota down in the final frame to secure her fourth-straight scoreless outing and fifth-straight game with double-digit strikeouts.
"We talked about this series being a great way to get ready for conference play," Ford added. "This is an unconventional three-game series, but it still a three game series. I am looking forward to how we come out on Sunday."
The Sun Devils pick up their three-game series on Sunday in a doubleheader. First pitch for game two is set for 2 p.m. local time and the finale for 4 p.m. Follow all of the action from the 2018 season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.