Senior right fielder Sierra Rodriguez scores against Binghamton, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015, at Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe. The Sun Devils defeated the Bearcats 22-5. (Ben Moffat/The State Press)
You can never have too much of a good thing.
For No. 22 ASU softball, that thing just happens to be walk-off home runs.
In the opening game of the Judi Garman Classic on Thursday in Fullerton, California, the Sun Devil softball team (17-7) flexed its clutch muscles once again, defeating the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines 2-0 in eight innings thanks to a walk-off 2-run shot by senior catcher Amber Freeman.
In what could only be described as a pitcher's duel, it took extra innings before either team would put any runs on the board. Unfortunately for the Wolverines (19-3), one pitch was all that Freeman needed to go yard in the waning moments of the matchup.
I guess walk off wins are a thing. This team makes it so fun! @ASUSoftball— Amber Freeman (@A_Freeman9) March 5, 2015
Starting in the circle in this game for the Sun Devils was freshman Breanna Macha (8-4, 3.03 ERA). Macha pitched a complete game allowing six runners on base, but she struck out five and didn't allow any Michigan runners to cross home plate.
ASU stranded nine runners on base over the course of the game, one third of which coming in the seventh inning when the Sun Devils had the bases loaded with no outs and came up empty.
This finish serves as the sweetest kind of redemption for Freeman, who had a walk-off home run snatched away from her in the postseason last year by (guess who?) Michigan.
The victory is the second by the Sun Devils this season over a top-six ranked team, with the first coming against No. 6 Oklahoma on Feb. 15.
ASU handles the home team in game two
Next up on the schedule for the Sun Devils were the Cal State Fullerton Titans (13-10), and ASU turned a competitive first inning into a dominant 10-3 victory thanks to key performances at the plate.
Pitching in this game for ASU was freshman Dale Ryndak, who got the win to cap off a day where both she and Macha showed signs of improvement. Ryndak allowed nine hits and two earned runs in a complete game outing.
After a run-of-the-mill one run first inning, the Sun Devils exploded on offense in the final six innings by notching nine runs to push the game to its final margin.
Four of the runs came from ASU's favorite way to score: a grand slam, provided by senior first baseman Bethany Kemp in the top of the seventh.
Earlier in the game, the Sun Devils' offense was fueled by the bats of senior Haley Steele, junior Nikki Girard, and sophomores Chelsea Gonzales and Sashel Palacios. The four of them combined for the remaining six RBIs. Gonzales' contribution came in the form of a 3-run home run.
Chelsea Going Going GONE-zales!!! Absolutely rips one that almost takes out some fans in front of the scoreboard. 3-Run shot and its 6-1!!— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 6, 2015
The Titans managed to gain back two runs in the bottom of the seventh, but still came up well short, finishing 0-2 on their home turf in the last two days.
Tomorrow's game for ASU softball features another difficult task, the No. 9 Baylor Bears. The Sun Devils hope to build upon a positive first day at Judi Garman with another win over a top ten team. First pitch is at 1:30 p.m. in Fullerton, California.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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