The ASU softball team went to Palo Alto looking for a sweep over the weekend.
The No. 9 Sun Devils were able to come away with two wins and a better idea of what to work on with just six regular season games remaining.
A stellar outing from sophomore pitcher Hillary Bach gave ASU (39-11, 8-7 Pac-10) the win 3-0 in the series opener, but lackluster pitching and a lifeless offense in game two led to an 8-0 loss. The Sun Devils took the series with a 3-2 win Sunday.
“Getting back on track with a win [Sunday] was important,” ASU associate head coach Robert Wagner said. “Any time you go out on the road and take two out of three in the Pac-10, you’ve got to be happy.”
Bach dazzled in the series opener, holding the No. 14 Cardinal (32-14, 5-10) to just one hit in a complete game shutout, her eighth of the season.
“I’ve found a good confidence,” Bach said. “It makes it easy for me when I have confidence in myself and confidence in the people behind me.”
Stanford junior pitcher Ashley Chinn was good, but Bach was just better.
Chinn held the nation’s No. 4 scoring team to three runs on nine hits in a full seven innings, but the efforts ASU mustered were enough to get the job done.
ASU junior first baseman Mandy Urfer stayed hot, hitting her fifth home run of the season, a solo shot in the sixth inning. Sophomore shortstop Katelyn Boyd did the rest of the work, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base.
Bach had to work out of a jam in the sixth inning when she hit a batter and walked two. With the bases loaded, Bach was able to escape the inning unscathed and cruise to a win in the seventh.
Again battling inconsistency, ASU couldn’t keep it going on Saturday. The Sun Devils dropped the game to Stanford in five innings while collecting just two hits.
Stanford freshman pitcher Jenna Rich baffled ASU while walking only one batter. The Sun Devils were making contact, as Rich only notched one strikeout, but they were unable to make it count.
“We just need to continue to get better,” Wagner said. “We have to get more consistent in all aspects.”
ASU freshman pitcher Sam Parlich (7-6) had another rough outing. She left the game after just one third of an inning having allowed four runs on five hits. Senior Megan Elliott came in for four innings of relief and gave up five hits and four runs, three earned.
“We may have to shuffle our pitching around a little bit, because what we’ve been doing hasn’t been working,” Wagner said. “We’ve got to find a combination of [Parlich and Elliott] that works so Saturday isn’t always a let down.”
Rich got the job done at the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with four RBI.
ASU was able to salvage the weekend and get the series win on Sunday as Bach again led the way. In improving to 21-4, Bach threw seven innings and allowed seven hits.
“Obviously, we always want three [wins],” Bach said. “I wouldn’t say we were satisfied, but we we’re glad that we did win the series.”
ASU’s offensive effort was better than the previous day, but it still scored just enough to edge the Cardinal.
ASU struck first when senior left fielder Caylyn Carlson’s sacrifice fly drove in Urfer. Urfer drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice in the sixth inning. With a runner on third in the same inning, sophomore right fielder Annie Lockwood singled to bring in an insurance run.
ASU now prepares for next weekend’s road series with Oregon State before wrapping the season up at home against No. 1 Washington the following weekend.
Reach the reporter at tyler.lockman@asu.edu
