The No. 18 Sun Devils have now won nine straight games with a 7-0 win over University of San Diego on the road Sunday.
ASU sophomore pitcher Giselle “G” Juarez picked up her second win in dominate fashion as the lefty pitched a complete game, only allowing three hits with nine strikeouts.
“All my pitches were working,” Juarez said. “Last year was last year. They could have gotten a bunch of new players that made an impact this year so it was taking it pitch by pitch that really made the difference.”
ASU head coach Trisha Ford discussed how important it was for Juarez to get back on track.
“I told her last night before in our post-game speech she was getting back on the hump,” Ford said. “I thought it was important for her to get back out there ... she's a sophomore and I think this is a great learning opportunity for her.”
In the bottom of the first inning, sophomore Kindra Hackbarth smacked a leadoff double. Later in the inning, with sophomore Maddi Hackbarth at the plate and the bases loaded, Kindra would stole home plate on a wild pitch.
Maddi Hackbarth then hit a two-run RBI single that gave the Sun Devils a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning. ASU continued to add to its lead in the bottom of the second.
When the Sun Devil lead was at 4-0 with runners on first and second, senior outfielder Nichole Chilson blasted a three-run home run in right center. It was Chilson's first home run of the season.
“It was actually a change up and in practice we have been working on that a lot.” Chilson said. “Finally driving a change up felt really good.”
ASU softball went unbeaten during the Littlewood Classic over the weekend, adding on to its nine-game winning streak.
The Sun Devils will look to extend their win streak to double digits when they travel to Palm Springs, California next week to play in the Mary Nutter Classic. They will face Mississippi State on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. MST.
“We have quality at-bats, and that’s what the first couple innings look like," Ford said. "We put some good at bats together. We're excited to go to Mary Nutter. It’s a great tournament, we're going to play some of the best softball teams in the country.”
Reach the reporter at nsheehy@asu.edu or follow @nsheehy_nick on Twitter.
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