TEMPE – Offenses can’t score when a quality pitcher toes the rubber inside the pitching circle.
And Meika Lauppe made sure Eastern Illinois and UNLV didn’t score against her as the junior right-hander tossed seven scoreless frames across Sun Devil Softball’s 9-5 win over the Panthers and its 9-2 victory over the Rebels to close out Friday’s slate of the ASU/GCU Invitational. For the day, Lauppe threw a team-high seven innings, scattered eight hits – all singles – struck out six, issued two walks and did not allow a single run throughout her two appearances.
Mary Peyton Hodge got the start against EIU (5-13) and worked two innings before giving way to Lauppe (4-0) with the bases loaded and no outs midway through the third. The Panthers held a five-run lead by the time the top of the frame was over. But a potential inning-ending pop up to EIU’s Lexie Griffin that allowed two Sun Devil runners to score in the bottom of the third changed the game’s momentum.
With Lauppe in the circle, the California native went on to toss four consecutive scoreless to give her offense a chance. A chance was all Arizona State needed as the Sun Devils scored six runs on five hits during the bottom of the fifth to take an 8-5 lead, a lead that was extended an inning later by a Brooklyn Ulrich double to score Avery Motroni from second.
Hours later, Lauppe entered Arizona State’s contest against UNLV in a similar scenario.
Aissa Silva (6-1) opened the Sun Devils’ eventual seven-run win by throwing four innings of two run – one earned – softball, before giving way to Hodge, who tossed a scoreless fifth. Lauppe, after throwing 94 pitches to 23 Panthers, returned to the circle to start the sixth and threw a scoreless sixth and seventh, while adding a strikeout to her day’s total.
FROM JUNIOR PITCHER MEIKA LAUPPE
“When it comes to being in a high-pressure situation, most of the time, I just think I’m doing this for the pitcher who was out there before me. I know (Mary Peyton Hodge) is working her butt off and we need to back her up when she’s working. I want to be there for my pitchers, because I know I’m going to be in that spot eventually and I know all of my pitchers will have my back, too.”
FROM JUNIOR CATCHER SAMANTHA SWAN
“(Meika Lauppe) came in and threw hard but threw strikes and that was important. Her cutter looked great, too. We worked on that this week, and it really is just shining through.”
FROM SOPHOMORE OUTFIELDER ASHLEIGH MEJIA
“Today was very fun, very exciting. We always love winning. We love a good challenge, so I thought today was pretty successful, especially with the hitters just passing the bat and finding ways. If one person didn’t get it done, another did. So yeah, it was a good day.
GAME NOTE
- By earning the start in right field against Eastern Illinois in Arizona State’s first game of the afternoon, Yannixa Acuña earned her second start of the season – the 66th of her four-year collegiate softball career – and first since starting in left field to begin the Sun Devils’ six-inning win over Northwestern on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026.
- When including Thursday night’s 9-1 win over UC Riverside, Arizona State has scored the same number of runs in three consecutive games for the first time since March 7th, 8th and 12th during the 2025 season. The Sun Devils scored five runs in a 6-5 loss against BYU on March 7th, before beating the Cougars, 5-4, the following day and then beating Stetson, 5-2, four days later.
UP NEXT
- Arizona State (16-3) will look to add marquee wins over an 11-win Wisconsin squad (3:30 p.m. MST/ESPN+) followed by a 6:15 p.m. MST/ESPN+ matchup against a Cal Baptist (16-3) team that has won 13 consecutive games on Saturday, Feb. 28. The Lancers knocked off the Badgers, 4-1, on Friday afternoon at GCU Softball Stadium in the Phoenix Region of the ASU/GCU Invitational.
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