TEMPE, Ariz.-- The 16th ranked Arizona State softball team improved to 17-7 on the season with a 4-1 win over Lehigh Saturday evening at Farrington Stadium.
The game, an almost complete contrast to the Sun Devils' 17-1 win over New Mexico State on Friday, topped the Mountain Hawkes thanks to a stellar pitching performance from Samantha Mejia and timely hits from Kiara Kennedy, Morgan Howe and Maddi Hackbarth.
"I prefer the 'lot of hit' games," said a smiling head coach Trisha Ford. "It is good for us to have games like tonight. That Lehigh team, he is just a fantastic coach and a great guy, but his team is scrappy. They have put runs on every team that they have played in this tournament. They have got some kids who are triple threats, they can hit, they can bunt and they can hit with some power. For us it is good to face that type of team and have a good outcome."
In the circle Mejia tossed another complete-game for the Sun Devils, allowing just one-run on five-hits, picking up her tenth win of the season in her sixth complete-game outing.
"I thought Sam did a great job," Ford said of Mejia's outing. "She made some big pitches when she needed to. She did a great job keeping them off balance with her change-up. That was something I thought was really huge and it is something she has been working really hard at."
After back-to-back scoreless innings, the Mountain Hawkes struck first, plating the game's first run on a two-out RBI single, putting the visitors in front, 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third.
ASU was able to answer quickly, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Skylar McCarty and Morgan Howe, making it a 1-1 game entering the top of the fourth.
With Mejia able to work a quick three-up three-down frame, the Sun Devil infield would give ASU the lead in the home-half of the inning. Following a Jade Gortarez double, third basemen Kiara Kennedy brought Gortarez in with a single down the third-base line. The hit was Kennedy's tenth of the season, and pushed ASU out front, 2-1.
Looking to stay aggressive after taking the lead, the ASU offense brought in two more runs on the fifth. Howe started things off with a triple to centerfield, before catcher Maddi Hackbarth stepped up to the plate and launched her ninth home run of the season, sending a no-doubter well over the left field wall to make it 4-1 in favor of the Sun Devils.
"It felt good," M. Hackbarth said of her home run. "I got all of that ball. I had been getting a lot of information in all of my previous at-bats and I was just barely missing the ball. It felt really good just being right there and get those little things corrected. It felt good."
With neither team able to score in the sixth, Mejia would slam the door on any would-be comeback from the Mountain Hawkes, sealing the Sun Devil's third win in the last three days.
ASU will be back in action tomorrow afternoon hosting South Dakota in a 12:00 p.m. first pitch at Farrington Stadium. Fans can follow all of the action from Sunday's game, as well as the rest of the 2019 ASU softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
The game, an almost complete contrast to the Sun Devils' 17-1 win over New Mexico State on Friday, topped the Mountain Hawkes thanks to a stellar pitching performance from Samantha Mejia and timely hits from Kiara Kennedy, Morgan Howe and Maddi Hackbarth.
"I prefer the 'lot of hit' games," said a smiling head coach Trisha Ford. "It is good for us to have games like tonight. That Lehigh team, he is just a fantastic coach and a great guy, but his team is scrappy. They have put runs on every team that they have played in this tournament. They have got some kids who are triple threats, they can hit, they can bunt and they can hit with some power. For us it is good to face that type of team and have a good outcome."
In the circle Mejia tossed another complete-game for the Sun Devils, allowing just one-run on five-hits, picking up her tenth win of the season in her sixth complete-game outing.
"I thought Sam did a great job," Ford said of Mejia's outing. "She made some big pitches when she needed to. She did a great job keeping them off balance with her change-up. That was something I thought was really huge and it is something she has been working really hard at."
After back-to-back scoreless innings, the Mountain Hawkes struck first, plating the game's first run on a two-out RBI single, putting the visitors in front, 1-0 heading to the bottom of the third.
ASU was able to answer quickly, thanks to back-to-back doubles from Skylar McCarty and Morgan Howe, making it a 1-1 game entering the top of the fourth.
With Mejia able to work a quick three-up three-down frame, the Sun Devil infield would give ASU the lead in the home-half of the inning. Following a Jade Gortarez double, third basemen Kiara Kennedy brought Gortarez in with a single down the third-base line. The hit was Kennedy's tenth of the season, and pushed ASU out front, 2-1.
Looking to stay aggressive after taking the lead, the ASU offense brought in two more runs on the fifth. Howe started things off with a triple to centerfield, before catcher Maddi Hackbarth stepped up to the plate and launched her ninth home run of the season, sending a no-doubter well over the left field wall to make it 4-1 in favor of the Sun Devils.
"It felt good," M. Hackbarth said of her home run. "I got all of that ball. I had been getting a lot of information in all of my previous at-bats and I was just barely missing the ball. It felt really good just being right there and get those little things corrected. It felt good."
With neither team able to score in the sixth, Mejia would slam the door on any would-be comeback from the Mountain Hawkes, sealing the Sun Devil's third win in the last three days.
ASU will be back in action tomorrow afternoon hosting South Dakota in a 12:00 p.m. first pitch at Farrington Stadium. Fans can follow all of the action from Sunday's game, as well as the rest of the 2019 ASU softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.