HOUSTON – A day after scoring 16 runs, Sun Devil Softball added 10 more to its series total against Houston pitching as Arizona State closed out a three-game conference series sweep of the Cougars with a 10-0 win in five innings on Sunday afternoon.
The offensive outburst started with a three-run top of the first fueled by a two-run home run off the bat of Katie Chester. Chester struck, again, two innings later with a run-scoring base hit as part of a five-run, four-hit frame that also featured a two-run home run by Brooklyn Ulrich and solo home run by Sydney Saenz.
Chester and Ulrich put a bow on the weekend with back-to-back run-scoring singles to push the Sun Devils ahead, 10-0, entering the game’s fifth inning.
The fifth inning was more of the same from Kenzie Brown (12-5), who worked around a one-out fielding error, by tossing a fifth consecutive scoreless frame. Sunday was Brown’s fourth complete game solo shutout of the season and first since Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, when she held Michigan scoreless in six innings of work.
From Head Coach Megan Bartlett
“I was proud of the hitters today; scoring three runs in the first inning immediately stole the momentum away from (Houston) and that’s big time. The results look shiny, but I think the results were more indicative of our kids being self-aware and self-reflective after the last few weeks. There were some really nice adjustments – whether they were physical or mental – made at the plate, so the girls continued to show us they are going to keep getting better and better.”
From junior first baseman Katie Chester
“We were seeing the ball well today, to be honest. We were using the umpire’s zone to our advantage and (Kenzie Brown) just threw a great game. (Tanya Windle and Kaylee Pond) came out and started the game by getting on base and it really set the whole thing in motion. We all saw what they did to get on base, so it gave us confidence from the first pitch.”
Game notes
- Sunday afternoon’s game marked the first start in the outfield for second-year Sun Devil Sydney Saenz since March 11, 2023, when she started in left field at Utah while a member of the Oregon State softball program.
- Sunday was the second start – and first since starting at catcher in ASU’s 5-2 win at UTEP on April 9, 2025 – for Saenz since becoming a Sun Devil prior to the 2025 season.
- By finishing Sunday’s contest with double digit runs, it marks the first time Arizona State has scored 10-or-more runs in back-to-back Big 12 Conference games since the Sun Devils joined the league prior to the 2025 campaign.
- With its three home runs on the afternoon, Arizona State has surpassed 80 home runs on the season, marking the first time the Sun Devils have hit 80-or-more home runs in a single season since connecting for a program single-season record 104 throughout the 2022 campaign.
- Sunday’s result marks the 35th win on the season for Arizona State, tying for the most wins in a single season under fourth-year head coach Megan Bartlett.
- By reaching the 35-win plateau marks the second consecutive season Arizona State has won 35-or-more games, marking the first time the Sun Devils have done such since the 2018 (48) and 2019 (35) seasons.
Up next
Following the three-game road series sweep at Houston, Arizona State (35-13, 8-10) will return to action on Friday, April 24, when the Sun Devils begin a three-game home conference series against No. 2/3 Texas Tech (42-4, 16-2) with first pitch slated for 6 p.m. MST on ESPN2.
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