For anyone else, 61 might be just another number.

But in the midst of the ASU softball team’s three-game sweep of Long Beach State University, 61 became a landmark.

Senior outfielder Kaitlin Cochran tied and broke the ASU career home-run record on Saturday with her 10th and 11th home runs of the season, a personal accomplishment that wasn’t necessarily at the top of her priorities.

“It’s quite an honor to break the record, and I was kind of surprised because I didn’t realize that I broke it during the game,” she said. “It wasn’t something I was focused on. I’m always more focused on the team than myself, but there are so many great players that have gone through ASU, and I’m glad to be up there at the top amongst them.”

Cochran’s new record of 61 career home runs breaks the record held by Mandy Cowles from 2004 to 2008.

Her performance in the series against the 49ers helped the No. 6 Sun Devils to sweep the weekend and improve their record to 28-5 overall and 16-12-1 all time against Long Beach.

ASU’s focus for the weekend was to string hits together. In last weekend’s loss to Michigan, the Sun Devils couldn’t find a way to come through in the clutch and left numerous runners on base.

This weekend’s performance showed their improvement.

“We did very well the first game,” freshman infielder Katelyn Boyd said. “We wanted to attack the team and we did. We did it throughout the game. We did much better at not piece-hitting, but stringing hits together when we needed to.”

The first game ended in an 11-7 win against the 49ers.

The scoring included runs coming off of a grand slam by Cochran, an RBI single by sophomore infielder Krista Donnenwirth that scored senior outfielder Jessica Mapes and a solo homerun by sophomore catcher Kaylyn Castillo.

Junior pitcher Megan Elliott also worked to overcome a third-inning rally that saw the 49ers notch seven runs, and got the win with 4.2 innings pitched, giving up only one hit.

Saturday’s double-header against LBSU ended the series and ASU’s nonconference schedule.

Boyd had an RBI single in the first game that scored Lesley Rogers, who came around again in the fifth inning on a single by Donnenwirth. Cochran also had a two-run home run.

The Sun Devils will move on to take Oregon next weekend in Tempe.

“We’re going into Pac-10, so I want to make sure we’re prepared as much as we can,” Cochran said. “It’s what it is in the Pac-10: who is mentally stronger. If we can prepare mentally and physically, we can win it.”

Reach the reporter at emiley.darling@asu.edu.