May 20, 2006
HEMPSTEAD, NY - The 2006 NCAA Hempstead Softball Regional finally got underway Saturday after being delayed by weather yesterday with the #7 Arizona State Sun Devils going undefeated on the day taking a 6-0 win from the Long Island Blackbirds and a 2-0 extra inning win from Hofstra to advance to the championship series tomorrow. The Sun Devils are now 49-13 on the season while falls to 34-22 and Hofstra to 37-19.
Lead by Desiree Serrano's 11 strikeouts and Mindy Cowles going 2-for-3 with her 16th home run of the season, the Sun Devils rattled off eight hits for six runs against Long Island to advance to the second round of the tournament where they faced host school, Hofstra University in the second round after Hofstra defeated Penn State 5-4 in extra innings.
The Devils added one to the score in the second and third before going on a four run spree in the fourth with lead-off hitter Michelle Smith hit by a pitch before Mindy Cowles dug in to a 1-2 count to put one over the center field wall to add two more before a single from Heidi Knabe was brought home with pinch-runner Delenah Langley stealing second before being brought home with a single from Jessica Mapes, who was brought home as well by a single to center field from Kaitlin Cochran.
The Sun Devils went on to take the game 6-0 before facing off against Hofstra where Katie Burkhart faced off against Hofstra freshman, Kayleigh Lotti, who had seven strikeouts against in their extra inning 5-4 win over the Nittany Lions earlier today. Both pitchers went all seven innings and into extra innings with Burkhart fanning 14 of the Pride and allowing only two hits, as Lotti struck out three and held the Sun Devils scoreless through seven.
Going into extra innings, ASU's offense finally came alive as a lead-off walk to Jessica Mapes in the eighth was brought home as Kaitlin Cochran crushed her 16th home run of the season over the right center wall to put the Devils up 2-0. Burkhart came out in the eighth to finish the game as she fanned two of the Pride and a ground out by Laura Sweeney to finish it.
The Su Devils will await to see who they play tomorrow as the winner of the vs. will face Hofstra at 6 p.m. tonight, with the winner of that playing ASU in the championship series tomorrow at noon. All times are tentative.