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Swan continued offensive tear for No. 23/RV Softball

Samantha Swan concludes three-game series against UCF having not been retired in last seven straight at bats

Swan continued offensive tear for No. 23/RV SoftballSwan continued offensive tear for No. 23/RV Softball
by Chris Brown
Box Score

TEMPE – Sunday afternoon was another softball game, where opposing pitchers could not get Samantha Swan out. But Swan’s career-high two-home run performance wasn’t enough as No. 25/22 UCF held off a late-charging No. 23/RV Sun Devil Softball squad to win, 4-3, and secure the weekend Big 12 series.

After UCF ran out to a 4-0 lead after the game’s first three innings, Swan, who was hit by a pitch during her second-inning plate appearance, cut the Arizona State in half her next time up with a two-run home run over the left field fence.

The run-scoring opportunity was presented by Kenzie Brown (9-5), who retired 15 consecutive UCF batters after surrendering two unearned runs during a three-run top of the second. Brown recorded four consecutive three-up, three-down frames from the third to the sixth.

Following a two-strikeout top of the sixth by Brown, her battery mate Swan, again, cut the Arizona State deficit with a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. But it was the last time a Sun Devil reached base against UCF starting pitcher Isabella Vega (15-5), who ended the weekend allowing nine earned runs against the ASU offense.

FROM HEAD COACH MEGAN BARTLETT

“I really thought Kenzie (Brown) threw a beautiful game; UCF is very good and that’s a very tough offensive team. Sam Swan continues to be excellent at the plate. But it just felt like we couldn’t come up for air today; offensively in critical moments after making some defensive mistakes early that we couldn’t overcome late in the game. We just have to come back out next time and be better, that’s all you can do at this point.”

GAME NOTES

  • Samantha Swan’s solo home run during the bottom of the sixth inning marked the 70th home run on the season for Arizona State, the most in a single season by a Sun Devil squad since the 2022 team hit a single-season best 104 home runs.
    • ASU’s current 70 home runs are the most by a Megan Bartlet-led Sun Devil squad during her four seasons in Tempe.
  • By driving herself in with her two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, Samantha Swan became Arizona State’s 300th RBI on the season, the most by a Sun Devil team throughout a season since the 2022 squad was credited with 352 RBI.
  • Sunday’s performance marked the first back-to-back double-digit strikeout pitching appearance for Kenzie Brown since fanning 12 Northwestern batters in six innings on Feb. 7, 2026, before striking out 14 Indiana Hoosiers in seven innings during her next appearance in the circle on Feb. 12, 2026.
    • Sunday also marked the first time Brown recorded a complete game outing in back-to-back pitching appearances since the aforementioned February outings against Northwestern and Indiana.
    • For the season, Brown now has eight double-digit strikeout performances and 21 for her collegiate softball career.

UP NEXT

Arizona State (31-13, 5-10) will have a quick turnaround as the Sun Devils will now take on No. 20/25 Grand Canyon at GCU Softball Stadium at 7 p.m. MST on Tuesday, April 14.

Following the trip to GCU, ASU will then hit the runways to fly to the Lone Star State for a three-game Big 12 Conference at Houston (20-25, 3-15) with the first pitch of the series opener scheduled for 5 p.m. MST / 7 p.m. CDT on Friday, April 17 at Cougar Softball Stadium.

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For the latest information on the team, follow @SunDevilSoftball on X, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TheSunDevils on X, Instagram and Facebook.