TEMPE – For the second consecutive night, the drama wasn't lacking at Farrington Stadium as Sun Devil softball picked up another two wins. Arizona State began the day with a methodical 9-4 win over Utah Valley. ASU followed with a 5-1 win over Idaho State in extra-innings behind a walk-off grand slam from Shannon Cunningham.
It's the second consecutive night the Sun Devils won a game with an extra-innings home run after not having a walk-off blast in nearly 22 months before Friday.
Game 1: Arizona State 9, Utah Valley 4
The bats remained hot from the thrilling comeback victory over Ohio State on Friday night as ASU totaled 13 hits, including four that went for extra bases. Yannixa Acuña picked up her second three-hit game of the season, while four others had two hits apiece. Alesia Denby doubled and homered while driving in a pair of runs. Tanya Windle had three RBIs and added a double among her two hits.
Deborah Jones started and allowed three runs over 3.1 innings of a no-decision. Meika Lauppe posted 2.2 innings of relief with only one run and two hits allowed for the second win.
ASU took a 2-0 lead after one inning behind RBI hits from Windle and Denby. The Sun Devils then built a 6-0 advantage with four runs in the second inning, highlighted by Denby hitting her sixth home run of the season.
A three-run home run from Utah Valley in the fourth inning cut their deficit in half. The Wolverines added a fourth run in the top of the sixth to make things interesting.
The threat was dealt with in the ASU sixth as Windle doubled home a run in front of RBI hits from Kayla Lissy and Cunningham to provide the final margin.
Game 2: Arizona State 5, Idaho State 1
Pitching took over in the nightcap with Idaho State as neither team found many scoring chances throughout the contest. The teams combined to go 3-for-22 with runners on base and the Sun Devils were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Marissa Schuld held the Bengals to one run on six hits in six innings of work. Mac Osborne went the final two innings with just one walk allowed and two strikeouts to secure her sixth win of the year.
ASU manufactured a run in the second inning behind the speed of Lissy. After she bunted for a single and then stole second, Cunningham moved her to third on a groundout. Lissy scored on a ground ball to first from Kinch by beating the throw to the plate.
Idaho State pulled even in the fourth using a pair of two-out hits, including a double into the gap that scored the runner from first. The Bengals would manage only two hits the rest of the night and were unable to plate the ghost runner in the eighth as Osborne tallied a pair of strikeouts.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kelsey Hall began the frame by grounding out to second and moving the ghost runner to third. Idaho State would intentionally walk Denby and Lissy to load the bases for Cunningham, who turned on the first pitch she saw and hammered it deep to left center for the walk-off grand slam.
NOTABLES
The Sun Devils will complete play at the Sun Devil Classic on Sunday with a matchup with the New Mexico State Aggies at 11:30 a.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on the ASU Live Stream.
QUOTABLES
Arizona State Head Coach Megan Bartlett
On eight games in five days
"We've got sore arms and fatigued legs, but they're just battling and grinding. It wasn't totally pretty for most of that game. Idaho State did a great job on the mound."
On what keeps the momentum going for the team
"This is a driven group. They love each other, and they love to be Sun Devils. When we start firing consistently on all cylinders, it's going to be a pretty tough team."
On the impact of Alesia Denby on the team
"(Alesia) is a dream. She is not a big talker, but she's incredibly consistent at shortstop. She's just a great human, her teammates love her. She leads with this quiet confidence, and she comes up in big moments. She is a dangerous, dangerous hitter. We're just thrilled that she chose to be a Sun Devil."
Arizona State first baseman Shannon Cunningham
On the importance of these non-conference games
"They are really big. A lot of non-conference wins are really big going into the conference season. The Pac is probably, in my opinion, the toughest conference to play in. So having those non-conference wins to kind of boost your record before going into some really tough games is great."
On hitting the walk-off grand slam in front of family
"My family are my biggest supporters. I do everything for them. It's for my family, and to be surrounded by all this love and all my teammates, it's really great. I do this for them. I try to make them proud every day, so it's a really great feeling."
Arizona State third baseman Kayla Lissy
On stealing bases in important games
"Very important. We even have hit-and-run signs that are a big part of our game, too. That's just a big difference in the game. Advancing a runner from first to second is immediately putting a runner in scoring position."
It's the second consecutive night the Sun Devils won a game with an extra-innings home run after not having a walk-off blast in nearly 22 months before Friday.
Game 1: Arizona State 9, Utah Valley 4
The bats remained hot from the thrilling comeback victory over Ohio State on Friday night as ASU totaled 13 hits, including four that went for extra bases. Yannixa Acuña picked up her second three-hit game of the season, while four others had two hits apiece. Alesia Denby doubled and homered while driving in a pair of runs. Tanya Windle had three RBIs and added a double among her two hits.
Deborah Jones started and allowed three runs over 3.1 innings of a no-decision. Meika Lauppe posted 2.2 innings of relief with only one run and two hits allowed for the second win.
ASU took a 2-0 lead after one inning behind RBI hits from Windle and Denby. The Sun Devils then built a 6-0 advantage with four runs in the second inning, highlighted by Denby hitting her sixth home run of the season.
A three-run home run from Utah Valley in the fourth inning cut their deficit in half. The Wolverines added a fourth run in the top of the sixth to make things interesting.
The threat was dealt with in the ASU sixth as Windle doubled home a run in front of RBI hits from Kayla Lissy and Cunningham to provide the final margin.
Game 2: Arizona State 5, Idaho State 1
SHANTASTIC SLAM ??#ForksUp /// #O2V pic.twitter.com/Px6jeVVNcG
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) February 25, 2024
Pitching took over in the nightcap with Idaho State as neither team found many scoring chances throughout the contest. The teams combined to go 3-for-22 with runners on base and the Sun Devils were 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Marissa Schuld held the Bengals to one run on six hits in six innings of work. Mac Osborne went the final two innings with just one walk allowed and two strikeouts to secure her sixth win of the year.
ASU manufactured a run in the second inning behind the speed of Lissy. After she bunted for a single and then stole second, Cunningham moved her to third on a groundout. Lissy scored on a ground ball to first from Kinch by beating the throw to the plate.
Idaho State pulled even in the fourth using a pair of two-out hits, including a double into the gap that scored the runner from first. The Bengals would manage only two hits the rest of the night and were unable to plate the ghost runner in the eighth as Osborne tallied a pair of strikeouts.
In the bottom of the eighth, Kelsey Hall began the frame by grounding out to second and moving the ghost runner to third. Idaho State would intentionally walk Denby and Lissy to load the bases for Cunningham, who turned on the first pitch she saw and hammered it deep to left center for the walk-off grand slam.
NOTABLES
- Cunningham's grand slam is the second by the Sun Devils this season
- ASU stole eight bases during the two games, giving them 39 this season on 41 attempts
- The Sun Devils are on a streak of 12 consecutive games with at least one double. They had a 13-game run during a stretch in February into March last season.
- The current four-game winning streak is the team's longest since winning eight straight from February 17-March 3 last season
- Lissy had three hits on the day to extend her hitting streak to five straight and eight of nine.
The Sun Devils will complete play at the Sun Devil Classic on Sunday with a matchup with the New Mexico State Aggies at 11:30 a.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on the ASU Live Stream.
QUOTABLES
Arizona State Head Coach Megan Bartlett
On eight games in five days
"We've got sore arms and fatigued legs, but they're just battling and grinding. It wasn't totally pretty for most of that game. Idaho State did a great job on the mound."
On what keeps the momentum going for the team
"This is a driven group. They love each other, and they love to be Sun Devils. When we start firing consistently on all cylinders, it's going to be a pretty tough team."
On the impact of Alesia Denby on the team
"(Alesia) is a dream. She is not a big talker, but she's incredibly consistent at shortstop. She's just a great human, her teammates love her. She leads with this quiet confidence, and she comes up in big moments. She is a dangerous, dangerous hitter. We're just thrilled that she chose to be a Sun Devil."
Arizona State first baseman Shannon Cunningham
On the importance of these non-conference games
"They are really big. A lot of non-conference wins are really big going into the conference season. The Pac is probably, in my opinion, the toughest conference to play in. So having those non-conference wins to kind of boost your record before going into some really tough games is great."
On hitting the walk-off grand slam in front of family
"My family are my biggest supporters. I do everything for them. It's for my family, and to be surrounded by all this love and all my teammates, it's really great. I do this for them. I try to make them proud every day, so it's a really great feeling."
Arizona State third baseman Kayla Lissy
On stealing bases in important games
"Very important. We even have hit-and-run signs that are a big part of our game, too. That's just a big difference in the game. Advancing a runner from first to second is immediately putting a runner in scoring position."