TEMPE – While the Sun Devil Softball program was able to reap the fruits of its labor during Saturday’s action, the fruit turned sour on Sunday for Arizona State as the New Mexico State Aggies knocked off the Sun Devil Classic hosts, 6-5, to conclude the three-day round-robin tournament.
After beating the Aggies, 9-1, in five innings less than 12 hours prior to Sunday’s first pitch, Arizona State’s bats went cold following a three-run bottom of the first that served as an answer to New Mexico State’s three-run top of the frame. But while NMSU managed two more runs on the scoreboard in the top of the second, the Sun Devils were unable to respond right back against Faith Aragon.
With New Mexico State holding onto a 5-3 lead after two complete innings, Aragon (4-4) went on to throw three consecutive scoreless innings and allowed just two Sun Devil baserunners during that span: a Kaylee Pond one-out walk in the bottom of the third and Samantha Swan’s hit by pitch to open the fourth.
The Aggies extended their lead out to three with a leadoff solo home run to start the sixth, but the Sun Devils managed to put one run back on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth when Yannixa Acuña scored on a NMSU fielding error off the bat of JazMarie Roberts.
Echoing a similar script used to beat Memphis two weeks ago on Sunday, Feb. 8, Arizona State entered the bottom of the seventh needing two runs to tie, three to win.
The opportunity seemed ripe for the taking as Tiare Ho-Ching and Tanya Windle stood on third and second base, respectively, with no outs.
Ho-Ching cut the two-run deficit to one when she scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Emily Schepp four pitches later.
Windle, representing the game-tying run, was stranded on base, however, after Katie Chester struck out for the inning’s second out and an Arizona State challenge of Ashleigh Mejia potentially beating a throw to first base to extend the inning and score Windle was deemed unsuccessful, resulting in the game’s final out.
FROM HEAD COACH MEGAN BARTLETT
“We dug ourselves a little bit of a hole, tried to work out of it, didn’t make adjustments quick enough at the plate. (New Mexico State pitcher) Faith Aragon is a very good pitcher. She's a tough left-handed arm, and we knew we were heading into this matchup and just didn't adjust quick enough.”
FROM SENIOR OUTFIELDER TANYA WINDLE
“Yeah, I think just keeping things as simple as possible in the box. We watch the film, we have our plans and approaches, and I think just keeping those things simple and hunting pitches over the white is going to make us better.”
UP NEXT
With three home non-conference tournament now in the rearview mirror, Arizona State (13-3) will wrap up its regular-season round-robin tournament schedule next weekend when the Sun Devils host UC Riverside, EIU, UNLV, Wisconsin, Cal Baptist and CSU Bakersfield as part of the ASU Invitational. ASU will open the action on Thursday, Feb. 26, when it takes on UC Riverside at 6:00 p.m. MST.
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