Berkeley, Calif. -- The 12th- ranked Arizona State softball team needed extra innings but battled to a 3-1 win over No. 20 California Saturday afternoon at Levine-Fricke Field. With the win Arizona State head coach Trisha Ford claimed career-win No. 200.
"I didn't know anything about it," head coach Trisha Ford said of the milestone win. "It was good to get there. I have had the privilege to coach a lot of great players and a lot of those wins are not mine. Coach Wynn has been with me through all of them so she has been a huge part of that. It is never about me, so this really speaks to the quality of student-athletes we have had, and the coaches I have worked with. These 200 wins are the result of both of those things."
"I think coach Ford is someone who works her tail off everyday," assistant coach Carly Wynn said. "It is always great to win, but it is great to see her get to this point with the amount of work that she puts in. What makes this even more special is that this is our first road series. For us to come out with a huge opening series win and to then turn around and be able to finish the late game, these things will be really good for our team in the long run."
Senior pitcher Breanna Macha threw seven innings of stellar softball in the Sun Devil win, allowing just one run on six hits. The righty struck out nine batters before handing the game off to sophomore G Juarez who threw three innings in relief and struck out eight of the nine batters she faced.
"I was proud again today of our perseverance," Ford said. "Obviously you would like to care of things in seven innings, but I thought Bre (Macha) pitched a fantastic game. I was just really proud of the way we just kept plugging along. G (Juarez) was able to come in and Bre was the first one out after the game to congratulate her and be excited for her."
The Sun Devils out-hit the Golden Bears, 11-6, with four ASU hitters carding a multi-hit game. Arizona State was led at the plate by sophomore shortstop Jade Gortarez, who went 3-for-5 at the plate and scored the go-ahead run for ASU in the top of the tenth inning.
With neither team able to score in the first five innings, it was the Sun Devils who broke through in the top of the sixth with an RBI-double from Nichole Chilson that gave the Sun Devils a one-run lead.
The Golden Bears answered back in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of an ASU error to plate the trying run.
After back and forth scoreless frames the next three innings, the Sun Devils finally broke through again in the top of the 10th to put the game away for good.
Gortarez started things off for the Sun Devils in the top of the tenth, shooting a double through the middle of the infield to put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Morgan Howe followed with an RBI-double, before Danielle Gibson connected on an RBI-single that pushed the score to the final, 3-1.
The Sun Devils will go for the series sweep of the Golden Bears with game three slated for a 3:00 p.m. PT Sunday afternoon. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 Sun Devil softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
"I didn't know anything about it," head coach Trisha Ford said of the milestone win. "It was good to get there. I have had the privilege to coach a lot of great players and a lot of those wins are not mine. Coach Wynn has been with me through all of them so she has been a huge part of that. It is never about me, so this really speaks to the quality of student-athletes we have had, and the coaches I have worked with. These 200 wins are the result of both of those things."
"I think coach Ford is someone who works her tail off everyday," assistant coach Carly Wynn said. "It is always great to win, but it is great to see her get to this point with the amount of work that she puts in. What makes this even more special is that this is our first road series. For us to come out with a huge opening series win and to then turn around and be able to finish the late game, these things will be really good for our team in the long run."
Senior pitcher Breanna Macha threw seven innings of stellar softball in the Sun Devil win, allowing just one run on six hits. The righty struck out nine batters before handing the game off to sophomore G Juarez who threw three innings in relief and struck out eight of the nine batters she faced.
"I was proud again today of our perseverance," Ford said. "Obviously you would like to care of things in seven innings, but I thought Bre (Macha) pitched a fantastic game. I was just really proud of the way we just kept plugging along. G (Juarez) was able to come in and Bre was the first one out after the game to congratulate her and be excited for her."
The Sun Devils out-hit the Golden Bears, 11-6, with four ASU hitters carding a multi-hit game. Arizona State was led at the plate by sophomore shortstop Jade Gortarez, who went 3-for-5 at the plate and scored the go-ahead run for ASU in the top of the tenth inning.
With neither team able to score in the first five innings, it was the Sun Devils who broke through in the top of the sixth with an RBI-double from Nichole Chilson that gave the Sun Devils a one-run lead.
The Golden Bears answered back in the bottom of the inning, taking advantage of an ASU error to plate the trying run.
After back and forth scoreless frames the next three innings, the Sun Devils finally broke through again in the top of the 10th to put the game away for good.
Gortarez started things off for the Sun Devils in the top of the tenth, shooting a double through the middle of the infield to put a runner in scoring position with nobody out. Morgan Howe followed with an RBI-double, before Danielle Gibson connected on an RBI-single that pushed the score to the final, 3-1.
The Sun Devils will go for the series sweep of the Golden Bears with game three slated for a 3:00 p.m. PT Sunday afternoon. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 Sun Devil softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.