The ASU softball team didn’t waste much time raising the collective heart rates of its fan base.

Freshman shortstop Katelyn Boyd started her Sun Devil career off right with a walk-off double in the bottom of eighth inning to give ASU a 5-4 nail-biting win over McNeese State.

Boyd led the No. 2 Sun Devils (1-0, 0-0 Pac-10) with a 3-for-5 performance at the plate, including the game-winning blast that came on a 0-1 pitch.

The game did not start off well for junior pitcher Megan Elliott.

After retiring the Cowgirls in order in first two innings, Elliott gave up three runs in the third.

Luckily for the Sun Devils, freshman Hillary Bach stepped in and was stellar in her first collegiate appearance.

In 3 2/3 innings of relief, Bach surrendered only one hit while striking out three Cowgirl hitters to get the win for the Sun Devils.

The young pitcher didn’t give too much credence to her first career win.

“I have a lot to work on,” Bach said. “Experience will help a lot just knowing the batters.”

After four innings of little offense, Boyd got the Sun Devils on board in the bottom of the fifth, driving in senior Kaitlin Cochran with an RBI single to make the score 4-1.

ASU then rallied to tie the game with a three-run sixth inning.

The scoring started when junior Jessie Ware crossed the plate on a RBI single by sophomore infielder Mandy Urfer.

The Sun Devils were then able to knot the score at 4 with RBI sacrifice flys by sophomore outfielder Lesley Rogers and sophomore third baseman Krista Donnenwirth.

Both team’s pitchers and defenses held serve in the seventh inning.

Bach allowed her only hit of the game in the top of the eighth, but the Sun Devils emerged from the frame unscathed.

In the bottom of the eighth the first two Sun Devils were walked.

Donnenwirth executed a sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position, allowing Boyd to win the game with a blast.

ASU coach Clint Myer didn’t expect things to be easy heading into Thursday’s game.

“We’ve said it from day one, we’ve got to learn how to play and we’ve got to learn about ourselves,” Myers said. “This is a young ball club and we have to learn some things.”

The Sun Devils will play over the weekend in the Kajikawa Classic. ASU will take on UCF Friday at 5:30 p.m.

Reach the reporter at jaking5@asu.edu.

Nick Kosmider contributed to this report.