Corvallis, Ore. – The seventh ranked Arizona State softball team came out on the right side of a 15-inning marathon-game that include two rain delays, defeating the Oregon State Beavers, 2-1, on Sunday evening in Corvallis.
The first two innings of the matchup were relatively quiet, with both starting pitchers throwing clean innings. G Juarez stepped into the circle for her 19th start of the season, looking to notch her second victory this weekend.
ASU got on the board in the top of the third inning using two hits. Bella Loomis led off the inning with a single through the left side, and Taylor Becerra got the job done with a sacrifice bunt to advance Loomis to second. Stepping into the box with two outs and Loomis on second, Jade Gortarez pulled through for the Sun Devils with a double that brought in the game's first run.
Boosted by a 1-0 lead, Juarez locked in to strike out the side in the home half of the inning, but the Beavers connected to plate a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh. That was the only run Juarez allowed in the game in 15 innings of work. The sophomore notched 15 strikeouts in the outing, en route to tying Erica Beach for 17th place in single season strikeouts with 201 so far in 2018.
Seven scoreless innings later, the Sun Devils found themselves in prime position to take the lead in the top of the 15th. Danielle Gibson led off the inning with a double and was relieved by pinch runner Breezy Wise. Marisa Stankiewicz took one for the team, reaching off a hit-by-pitch to put two on for Maddi Hackbarth.
M. Hackbarth grounded out for the first out of the inning, but both Wise and Stakiewicz were able to advance off the ground ball, setting the table for Nichole Chilson. With two runners in scoring position in the top of the 15th inning, Chilson hit a fly ball just deep enough for Wise to tag up from third, giving the Devils a 2-1 lead and just three outs away from a series win in Corvallis.
Juarez used just nine pitches to set the side down in order for the final three outs, inducing a fly out and two ground outs, to secure a Sun Devil win.
The Devils are back in action next weekend at Farrington Stadium against Oregon. The three-game series with the Ducks is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday night, and fans can follow the action all season long by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
The first two innings of the matchup were relatively quiet, with both starting pitchers throwing clean innings. G Juarez stepped into the circle for her 19th start of the season, looking to notch her second victory this weekend.
ASU got on the board in the top of the third inning using two hits. Bella Loomis led off the inning with a single through the left side, and Taylor Becerra got the job done with a sacrifice bunt to advance Loomis to second. Stepping into the box with two outs and Loomis on second, Jade Gortarez pulled through for the Sun Devils with a double that brought in the game's first run.
Boosted by a 1-0 lead, Juarez locked in to strike out the side in the home half of the inning, but the Beavers connected to plate a run of their own in the bottom of the seventh. That was the only run Juarez allowed in the game in 15 innings of work. The sophomore notched 15 strikeouts in the outing, en route to tying Erica Beach for 17th place in single season strikeouts with 201 so far in 2018.
Seven scoreless innings later, the Sun Devils found themselves in prime position to take the lead in the top of the 15th. Danielle Gibson led off the inning with a double and was relieved by pinch runner Breezy Wise. Marisa Stankiewicz took one for the team, reaching off a hit-by-pitch to put two on for Maddi Hackbarth.
M. Hackbarth grounded out for the first out of the inning, but both Wise and Stakiewicz were able to advance off the ground ball, setting the table for Nichole Chilson. With two runners in scoring position in the top of the 15th inning, Chilson hit a fly ball just deep enough for Wise to tag up from third, giving the Devils a 2-1 lead and just three outs away from a series win in Corvallis.
Juarez used just nine pitches to set the side down in order for the final three outs, inducing a fly out and two ground outs, to secure a Sun Devil win.
The Devils are back in action next weekend at Farrington Stadium against Oregon. The three-game series with the Ducks is set to kick off at 7 p.m. Friday night, and fans can follow the action all season long by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.