EL PASO, Texas – There’s just something about playing an athletic event in front of your friends and families that brings out the best attributes in someone. Yazzy Avila and Sydney Saenz were overwhelmed with that something during Tuesday afternoon’s 10-1 Sun Devil victory over UTEP in El Paso.
Avila, who went to high school 34 miles from the UTEP campus at Pebble Hills, and Saenz, who prepped at Americans High School just 25 miles from Helen of Troy Field, combined to go 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI, two runs scored, one hit by pitch, one stolen base and one sacrifice bunt throughout the contest. Saenz’ home run marked the first of her career, while Avila’s was her first since March 2025 against Wisconsin.
After each team traded zeros in the run column throughout the first inning, Avila, the Sun Devils’ energizer bunny, brought the energy into the Arizona State dugout with a one-out solo home run to centerfield. The long ball sparked a three-run frame as Emily Schepp connected for a two-out, two-run double to score Yannixa Acuña and Brooklyn Ulrich.
Three frames later, Avila struck, again, with a two-out, run-scoring single to left field to score Samantha Swan, who hit a two-run home run during the top of the third.
With a 6-1 lead to start the top of the seventh, Saenz, who was hit with a pitch during her first at bat in the fifth, sent the second pitch of her second plate appearance through the 20 mile per hour winds and over the left field fence for her first career home run.
The home run – like Avila’s earlier in the game – lit a fuse on a multi-run inning for the Arizona State offense as the Sun Devils went on to score three more runs to push their run total to double figures.
FROM HEAD COACH MEGAN BARTLETT
“I’m sure those two home runs meant the world to both Sydney and Yazzy. They have such lovely families and - geographically - close enough that we see them a lot, but there’s just something special about showing out like that in your hometown. I’m super proud of the whole team, but I’m really happy for Yazzy and Sydney.”
FROM REDSHIRT JUNIOR INFIELDER YAZZY AVILA
“Honestly, I just wanted to come out swinging aggressively for the team and everything. I love this team, so as soon as I went to the plate, I was like, ‘Alright, I’m going to be aggressive. I didn’t want to be passive or anything,’ so yeah, I just wanted to be aggressive in the moment.”
FROM SENIOR OUTFIELDER SYDNEY SAENZ
“Oh, this game was so awesome. I’m so glad we were able to travel out there. Some friends and happy aren’t able to get to come out to our games at ASU, so for them to be able to come out here and watch a game means a lot to me.”
GAME NOTES
- Arizona State senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown started Tuesday’s non-conference matchup and struck out all six batters in her two innings of work.
- With her first strikeout, Brown extended her streak of consecutive pitching appearances with at least one strikeout to 45 straight games.
- Overall, Brown has struck out at least one batter in 82 of her 85 career pitching appearances over her three seasons in Tempe.
- When including a three-home run game against Utah on Sunday, March 8, the Sun Devil offense has now slugged five home runs over its last two games, marking the most in back-to-back games since having six against Wisconsin (3) and California Baptist (3) on Saturday, Feb. 28.
- As a result of being hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the fifth, Sydney Saenz, an El Paso, Texas native, successfully reached base for the first time since drawing a walk against Portland State on Feb. 14, 2026.
- After the Sun Devils were hit by at least one pitch if 17 of their first 20 games of the season, Saenz’ hit by pitch is the first by an ASU batter since Saturday, Feb. 28 against Wisconsin, a span of five games.
- With her first strikeout, Brown extended her streak of consecutive pitching appearances with at least one strikeout to 45 straight games.
UP NEXT
Arizona State (20-6, 0-3) will now return back to Tempe, where the Sun Devils will take on No. 21/15 Oklahoma State (17-7, 1-2) for a three-game Big 12 Conference series that is slated to begin on Friday, March 13 (6 p.m. MST/ESPN+).
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