TEMPE – With its back against the wall, trailing by two runs to open the bottom of the seventh, the Sun Devil Softball program sent seven student-athletes to the plate and combined three walks, two singles and an error to come-from-behind to beat Memphis, 4-3, to close out the weekend’s Kajikawa Classic.
Trailing 3-1 and down to the game’s final two outs in regulation, Avery Motroni, a first-year freshman, was credited with her first career collegiate base hit when she sent the first pitch of her pinch-hit appearance into left field. Nehanda Lewis, who Motroni hit for, re-entered the game at first and then moved to second when Memphis’ Aubrey Williams committed a fielding error on a ball off the bat of Millie Roberts.
After Kaylee Pond followed with a four-pitch walk to load the baes, Tanya Windle worked a one-one, bases-loaded walk on five pitches to score Lewis.
Six pitches later, Ashleigh Mejia earned a second consecutive bases-loaded walk – a third consecutive Sun Devil walk outright – to score Yannixa Acuña, who pinch ran for Roberts, and tie the game.
And a night after blasting a 256-foot, two-run home run against Northwestern, Katie Chester found space between Williams and Tiger shortstop Deana Cunningham for a game-ending single after Pond trotted down the third base line to score.
There's nothing like a walk-off to cap the weekend 😈#ForksUp /// @KChester_12 pic.twitter.com/OtTsb9PEN8
From head coach Megan Bartlett
“At this point in the year, any win is a good win. Good teams find a way to make it happen late in games. We talked about that on the first day of the tournament – that you’re going to win big sometimes and you’re going to win ugly sometimes – and honestly, I don’t care how it happens because at the end of the day, the win-loss record is the same. We’ll certainly work through the process and work to get better, but at this point, I’m just happy to find ways to win. That’s what good teams do.”
From junior first baseman Katie Chester
“My last at bat, we had ‘take on’ until we got a strike. I had popped up the last two at-bats, so I told myself to hit a ground ball, and that’s what I did. It’s just ‘pass the bat, get a base hit and pass it on to the next person,’ if it’s possible. When there’s only one out, I just wanted to get a base hit and let the person behind me do the rest.”
Up next
Arizona State (4-1) will now break from game action for the next three days, before returning to the diamond at Farrington Stadium on Thursday, Feb. 12, when the Sun Devils will participate in the Littlewood Invitational against Portland State (2-3) at 3:30 p.m. MST. ASU will close out the day’s slate against Indiana (4-1) at 6:15 p.m. MST.
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