TEMPE – To argue against Sun Devil Softball’s 2-1 win over CSU Bakersfield on Sunday afternoon not being one of the best pitching performances by first-year Sun Devil Aissa Silva would be like wishing for rain in Tempe during July: it’s pointless.
Silva, a Tucson native who transferred to Arizona State from Arizona during the offseason, toed the rubber in the pitching circle at Farrington Stadium for her fourth start over the course of the four-day ASU/GCU Invitational. And despite falling one out shy of her first seven-inning complete game since March 9, 2024, the left hander did strike out seven batters – the second most by Silva in a start this season after having nine in five innings against New Mexico State on Saturday, Feb. 21 – and scatter just five hits – a season low in a start of three-or-more innings – over the course of her work.
Nearly 68 percent (67.3) of her 98 pitches thrown were strikes, while inducing eight groundouts and five flyouts to coincide with her seven strikeouts.
Silva (8-1) made quick work of the Roadrunners in the first as she retired the first three CSU Bakersfield batters on just eight pitches. It took her nine pitches to work a perfect second inning that featured two swinging strikeouts.
CSU Bakersfield collected its first baserunner of the contest with a leadoff single to shallow left field to open the third, but Silva went on to close out the frame on just eight more pitches.
The fourth, fifth and sixth innings were more of the same as Silva added four strikeouts to her total, surrendered an infield single – a comebacker off her leg that ricocheted between Millie Roberts (third base) and Brooklyn Ulrich (shortstop) – and issued her first walk of the contest.
Claiming to a two-run lead and the Roadrunners only managing three baserunners entering the final inning, the Sun Devils opted for defensive replacements in the outfield that resulted in back-to-back base hits to begin the frame.
Following a strikeout of Hannah Garcia for the first out, Aileen Balderas pushed a 1-0 pitch through the left side and past a diving Ulrich for the Roadrunners’ first run. A groundball to Tiare Ho-Ching advanced two CSU Bakersfield baserunners into scoring position with two outs.
After a full-count walk to Carilee Carr loaded the bases, Meika Lauppe (S, 1) entered the pitching circle for Silva, who exited the field to an applause from Sun Devil faithful in attendance.
A groundball specialist, Lauppe induced the game-ending out to Ho-Ching on the second pitch.
FROM HEAD COACH MEGAN BARTLETT:
“(Aissa Silva) had great command of the (strike) zone today. She and Coach (John) Bargfeldt made a little adjustment to her wind up, actually in the bullpen, that I think helped her just stay a little bit more balanced as she was delivering pitches, so she had much better command in the zone. She's going to keep rolling out there; that's our veteran lefty.”
FROM SENIOR PITCHER AISSA SILVA:
“My mindset is to go all out and do everything that I can to help the team win. I'm out there to pitch. I'm out there to throw seven innings, if I can. I'm out there to do whatever I can do for the team. So, going out there with the mindset of ‘go get them’ and do as much as I possibly can.”
GAME NOTES
- Sunday’s game between Arizona State and CSU Bakersfield marked the end of a 25-day stretch from February 5 to March 1 that saw Farrington Stadium and the Sun Devil Softball program host 47 Division I softball games. Over the 25-day span, there were more games with at least one softball game (15) than days without (10).
- With its win over the Roadrunner, Arizona State now moves to 19-3 on the young season, which is the best start to a new season by a Sun Devil squad since the 2018 team opened its campaign 20-2. The 2018 team went on to sweep through the NCAA Tempe Regional and NCAA Tempe Super Regional en route to the program’s last Women’s College World Series appearance.
- With her two-out, first-inning single back up the middle to become Arizona State’s first baserunner of the contest, Ashleigh Mejia became the only Sun Devil to be credited with at least one base hit in all six ASU games during the ASU/GCU Invitational.
- With her strikeout of CSU Bakersfield’s Hannah Garcia for the first out in the top of the seventh, Aissa Silva not only pushed her game total to seven strikeouts but also registered her 200th career collegiate strikeout between her time in Tucson (164) and Tempe (36).
- By coming in to get the game’s final out, Meika Lauppe was credited with her first save since March 23, 2025, when she worked an inning during Arizona State’s 3-2 win against Arizona.
UP NEXT
- After four consecutive weekends of non-conference round robin tournaments, Arizona State (19-3) will now turn its attention to Big 12 Conference action as the Sun Devils will open its conference slate at 6 p.m. MST on Friday, March 6, when ASU takes the diamond at Farrington Stadium against Utah (17-5).
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