Through the first 22 games of the 2011 season, the ASU softball team has continually benefited from a lineup that is capable of run ruling its opponent every game and a pitching staff that routinely shuts down opposing lineups.
The No. 7 Sun Devils (21-1) saw more of the same during its past four mid-week matchups.
It began with a 10-0 thrashing of Creighton on Tuesday night and continued the following evening with a 7-0 thumping of Florida Gulf Coast. Behind a more high- powered offense, ASU dominated Campbell 13-4 on Thursday, followed by an 11-1 win over Florida Gulf Coast again during the opening games of the Diamond Devil Invitational.
With four more victories, ASU now has won 17 consecutive games. The Sun Devils have outscored their opponents 41-5 in the four games this week.
Additionally, six hitters in the Sun Devil starting lineup can boast a batting average of .400 or better.
On Tuesday, the Bluejays (7-11) returned hoping to avenge their ugly 11-1 loss against ASU on Sunday.
ASU sent freshman pitcher Mackenzie Popescue to the rubber, and she responded with a one-hit shutout performance.
Popescue picked up her fifth win this season, striking out six Bluejays in the process.
“It feels good,” Popescue said. “When something like that happens, everything is really working and you’re in the zone. You don’t hear anything, you don’t see anything, you just throw it.”
The Eagles (10-14) traveled to Farrington Stadium on Wednesday.
The remarkable pitching continued for ASU as junior Hillary Bach hurled in five shutout innings while scattering five hits.
“I felt good,” Bach said. “Trying some new things, just like the hitters always work on making adjustments. So I came out with a new windup, and I thought it went well.”
Freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo came on in relief and locked down the victory with three innings of shutout softball.
After a slow start in the early innings, the ASU bats came alive in the fifth and sixth innings.
Senior centerfielder Lesley Rogers laced a two-RBI single to center to give ASU a 4-0 lead. Then junior outfielder Talor Haro made it a memorable game when she drove a pitch over the center field wall in the bottom of the sixth for her first career home run.
Haro’s long ball extended ASU’s lead to 7-0.
“Obviously, it was unexpected,” Haro said. “I was smiling all around the bases. I knew she was pitching slower, so that’s why I swung away. Just stayed relaxed, on top of it, and behind it. The outcome was exciting.”
The Fighting Camels (8-12) were up next for ASU in game one of Thursday’s doubleheader.
Bach started for the second straight game and would allow four runs in five innings, preserving the victory in the fifth by striking out the final batter of the game.
Junior shortstop Katelyn Boyd led the charge for ASU with a three-hit, four-RBI performance.
Boyd launched a three-run home run in the bottom of the third inning.
“I’m feeling good,” Boyd said. “I’m just working on having good rhythm, and just swinging at pitches that are there for me to hit.”
Senior second baseman Michelle Nulliner had a big day at the plate, finishing with three hits and two runs scored.
In the second contest on Thursday, the Eagles squared off against ASU in a rematch.
While it may have been a different game, the results were strikingly similar.
With the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the first, senior third baseman Krista Donnenwirth rifled a double into the left field gap to clear the bases and give ASU a 3-0 lead.
One inning later, it was Boyd who homered yet again, a three-run shot to center field. She now has an incredible .509 batting average.
Popescue cruised through four innings of work, and Escobedo came on in relief to nail down the win in the top of the fifth.
With two wins already notched in the Diamond Devil Invitational, the Sun Devils continue play in the weekend tournament Friday night when they take on Howard.
The Bison (3-8) have struggled early on in 2011, having lost five in a row. They have not won on the road this season.
One bright spot for the Bison has been the play of junior infielder Ciera Gordon, who enters the weekend with a .350 batting average along with four runs.
On Saturday, it’s another doubleheader for ASU with matchups against Weber State and Virginia Tech.
The Weber State Wildcats (3-5) are coming off a 7-2 win over Campbell in the tournament opener.
After WSU, ASU will take on the talented Hokies (14-5). VT freshman shortstop Dani Anderson is off to a fast start and leads the team with a .426 batting average.
Sophomore catcher Courtney Liddle has also been a force at the plate so far this season, hitting .389 with 20 RBIs.
“They’re a good ball club,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “It’s going to be an interesting game, but it’s one of those things where it doesn’t really matter who goes out there, you’ve got to do the things you’ve prepared for. That’s the key no matter who you play.”
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
