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Brown delivers during No. 25 Softball’s series-clinching win over No. 21/15 Oklahoma State

Arizona State wins first series over a ranked opponent since the 2023 season

Brown delivers during No. 25 Softball’s series-clinching win over No. 21/15 Oklahoma StateBrown delivers during No. 25 Softball’s series-clinching win over No. 21/15 Oklahoma State

Ryan Brown (25) celebrates with her teammates after a sixth-inning home run during Arizona State's 5-4 win over Oklahoma State on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

by Chris Brown
Box Score

TEMPE – The ole saying ‘What can Brown do for You?’ is usually reserved for gift giving during the holiday season in middle-to-late December.

Well, Ryan Brown was feeling festive on Saturday, March 14, when the first-year Sun Devil gave her teammates and coaches a gift in the form on a 289-foot, go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the sixth to provide the difference in Sun Devil Softball’s 5-4 series-clinching win over No. 21/15 Oklahoma State.

After the teams traded run-scoring innings throughout the first five innings, Arizona State softball head coach Megan Bartlett went to her bench looking for something, someone to break the 4-4 tie as the game moved to the bottom of the sixth.

Bartlett inserted Brown into the sixth spot of the batting lineup. And she would lead off the frame as a pinch hitter from Emily Schepp.

Unlike Kaylee Pond’s game-ending solo home run that came on the first pitch of the bottom of the eighth on Friday night, Brown wanted a refresher on Oklahoma State’s RyLee Crandall’s pitches as the two haven’t faced off since Brown was at Texas and Crandall at Baylor during the 2024 season.

Strike one on a pitch in the zone.

Ball one on a pitch below Brown’s knees.

Ball two on a pitch inches above the previous.

Brown had Crandall right where she wanted her.

While trying to re-establish the bottom of the strike zone, Crandall (6-2) fired in the fourth pitch of the at bat waist high and right down the middle of the plate.

Brown sent the 2-1 pitch out of the park with an exit velocity of 82.5 miles per hour at a 28.3-degree launch angle for a 289.7-foot, go-ahead solo home run for Brown’s first home run as a Sun Devil.

The home run not only gave the Sun Devils a one-run lead on the scoreboard but also provided enough insurance for Meika Lauppe (8-2) to conclude her second seven-inning complete game on the season with a 11-pitch top of the seventh.

FROM HEAD COACH MEGAN BARTLETT

“I’m super proud of these girls. This has been a gritty series, so it’s a good feeling to earn the series win. Meika (Lauppe) threw a beautiful game today. She has worked so hard to be able to move the ball. (Oklahoma State) is a very good hitting team. They'd answer, we'd answer back and it ended up being a good ballgame. I’m just happy we found a way to came out on top.”

FROM JUNIOR UTILITY RYAN BROWN

“I really rely on my teammates. They give me so much comfort being in the box. They know I can do it, even days where I'm feeling unsure, they're right there behind me telling me to pick my head up and telling me, ‘You've done this so many times, Ryan. Just keep your head up and go do it.’ So really all glory to my teammates and my coaches for just keeping me in it.”

FROM JUNIOR PITCHER MEIKA LAUPPE

“This afternoon was awesome; I've been wanting a game like this. What did it best for me is that Coach John (Bargfeldt) and I have worked on not overthrowing my pitches; I tend to do that quite often, so keeping a good position and my cutter seemed to be taking off tonight. I was even able to throw my drop and my rise just to get some different looks.”

GAME NOTES

  • Samantha Swan’s first-inning double to score Yazzy Avila from second base marked the first time Arizona State scored a first-inning run since Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, when the Sun Devils scored five in the bottom of the first against Wisconsin, snapping a streak of seven consecutive games without a first inning run.
  • With the win on Saturday afternoon, Arizona State has clinched its first series win over a ranked opponent since winning the final two games (3-1, April 1; 5-2, April 2) of a three-game series against then-No. 8 Washington in Tempe during the 2023 campaign.
  • By drawing a walk during the third inning, Arizona State sophomore Ashleigh Mejia extended her on-base streak to 25 consecutive games. The streak is 14 games longer than the next closet by a Sun Devil as Tanya Windle is riding an active 11-game on-base streak.

UP NEXT

Arizona State (22-6, 2-3) will look for its first three-game sweep of a Big 12 Conference opponent in Tempe since joining the league – prior to the 2025 season – when the Sun Devils return to the diamond at Farrington Stadium to wrap up their weekend conference series against Oklahoma State (17-9, 1-4) on Sunday, March 15 (12 p.m. MST/ESPN+).

A win for Arizona State on Sunday would mark the fourth consecutive victory for the Sun Devils over the Cowgirls in the series history. The potential four-game winning streak would tie the longest winning streak for ASU over OSU since the first-ever meeting between the two programs on March 12, 1981.

If Arizona State wins on Sunday, it would mark the first time either the Sun Devils or Cowgirls have won three consecutive road games at any point in the series history.

FOLLOW US

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