TEMPE, Ariz. – The sixth-ranked Arizona State softball team took care of South Carolina, besting the Gamecocks 5-2 in the first game of Super Regionals Friday night at Farrington Stadium.
Lefty pitcher G Juarez got things done for the Sun Devils in the circle, striking out eight Gamecock batters and allowing just two hits for her 26th win of the season. Juarez carried a no-hit bid into the top of the seventh inning, but she would fall just three-outs shy of the second ever postseason no-hitter with a single in the seventh.
The Sun Devils got things started early, as Taylor Becerra singled in her first at-bat of the game immediately followed by a RBI double by Morgan Howe to create a 1-0 ASU lead with one out in the bottom of the first.
The momentum did not stop there. In the bottom of the second freshman Danielle Gibson hit a single through the right side followed by a Jade Gortarez home run, her eighth of the season, to put ASU up, 3-0.
Howe and DeNae Chatman both recorded singles in the bottom of the third but the Sun Devils couldn't capitalize with the runners on base and left it 3-0 headed into the fourth inning.
After a quick top of the fourth by Juarez, the Sun Devils' bats stayed hot, posting four more hits in the bottom half of the inning to score two more runs and give Arizona State a comfortable 5-0 lead.
The next two innings kept the score at 5-0 Arizona State headed into the top of the seventh. The Gamecocks were not going to end the game without a fight, though, with a single and two-run homerun in the top of the seventh to make it 5-2 ASU. Juarez then took care of the next three Gamecock batters to seal the victory for the Sun Devils.
Howe finished the game three-for-three with two RBI, her sixth game recording three hits and sixth multi-RBI game of the season.
The Super Regional will continue with game two set for Saturday evening at Farrington Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcasted live via ESPN2. Fans can follow along with all of the action from the 2018 postseason by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
Lefty pitcher G Juarez got things done for the Sun Devils in the circle, striking out eight Gamecock batters and allowing just two hits for her 26th win of the season. Juarez carried a no-hit bid into the top of the seventh inning, but she would fall just three-outs shy of the second ever postseason no-hitter with a single in the seventh.
The Sun Devils got things started early, as Taylor Becerra singled in her first at-bat of the game immediately followed by a RBI double by Morgan Howe to create a 1-0 ASU lead with one out in the bottom of the first.
The momentum did not stop there. In the bottom of the second freshman Danielle Gibson hit a single through the right side followed by a Jade Gortarez home run, her eighth of the season, to put ASU up, 3-0.
Howe and DeNae Chatman both recorded singles in the bottom of the third but the Sun Devils couldn't capitalize with the runners on base and left it 3-0 headed into the fourth inning.
After a quick top of the fourth by Juarez, the Sun Devils' bats stayed hot, posting four more hits in the bottom half of the inning to score two more runs and give Arizona State a comfortable 5-0 lead.
The next two innings kept the score at 5-0 Arizona State headed into the top of the seventh. The Gamecocks were not going to end the game without a fight, though, with a single and two-run homerun in the top of the seventh to make it 5-2 ASU. Juarez then took care of the next three Gamecock batters to seal the victory for the Sun Devils.
The final out from Tempe! ?? pic.twitter.com/ffj8lcnYpC
— NCAA Softball (@NCAAsoftball) May 26, 2018
Howe finished the game three-for-three with two RBI, her sixth game recording three hits and sixth multi-RBI game of the season.
The Super Regional will continue with game two set for Saturday evening at Farrington Stadium. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT and the game will be broadcasted live via ESPN2. Fans can follow along with all of the action from the 2018 postseason by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.