In case there was any previous doubt, the ASU softball team proved once again that its lineup is loaded with talented hitters from one through nine.
The No. 7 Sun Devils (24-1) pushed their win streak to 23 consecutive games after picking up three more wins at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe.
ASU continued the tournament on Friday with a 13-1 drubbing of Howard. In Saturday’s doubleheader, ASU then cruised to a 12-0 win over Weber State. In the weekend finale, ASU handed Virginia Tech a 10-3 loss.
Of ASU’s 24 wins this season, 16 of them have come via the run rule. While the Sun Devils scored early and often in the weekend’s first two games, the bats got off to a slower start on Saturday.
“We’re having a pretty good run,” ASU coach Clint Myers said. “We only scored two innings against a good team with Virginia. So it was nice that we got 7-3, but we’ve got to try and score every inning. We’ve got to get more people on, and bunch our hits together through the course of the game not just one good inning.”
Against the Bison (3-11), the Sun Devils sent junior pitcher Hillary Bach to the circle.
Bach kept the opposing lineup quiet by throwing five innings of one run, four hit softball.
She received plenty of run support as the ASU lineup came out swinging in the first inning.
Freshman outfielder Alix Johnson launched her first career grand slam over the left centerfield wall to give ASU a 6-0 lead.
“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit,” Johnson said. “I knew all the runners on base, I needed to do my job and at least score the runners on second and third. I was just looking for a base hit. But I hit the ball hard and it went over.”
The Sun Devils would add on seven more and cruise to a five inning, run rule win.
ASU faced a doubleheader on Saturday with the day’s first matchup coming against the Wildcats (3-9).
Freshman pitcher Mackenzie Popescue took the starter in the pitcher’s circle, and continued to pitch well.
Popescue unleashed a complete game (five-inning) performance over WSU to earn her seventh win. She scattered five hits over the course of the game, and did not allow a run. The shutout performance lowered her season ERA to 1.17.
In the first inning, senior third baseman Krista Donnenwirth laced an RBI double to put ASU ahead 1-0.
Donnenwirth struck again with a three run homer run in the third inning that put ASU ahead 4-0.
A pair of two RBI singles from junior outfielder Annie Lockwood and Johnson in the fourth added to the lead. Senior catcher Lacy Goodman ripped a two RBI double in the fifth as well as the Sun Devils would finish with 12 runs.
The Hokies (16-6) were ASU’s final opponent in the weekend tournament.
After not starting in the circle all weekend, freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo turned in an exciting performance against VT.
After Kat Banks teed off on an Escobedo pitch for a leadoff home run in the top of the first inning, the Hokies would plate another run to hold an early 2-0 lead.
“I was surprised from that,” Escobedo said. “I had poor pitch choice. I should’ve shook off what was called because I didn’t have confidence, and right when I threw it, she hit it over. So that was just poor choice on me. I felt like after that I struck out the next few and got into the next innings and did well.”
Escobedo then settled in, and collected her 100th career strikeout in the second inning when she struck out the side
While ASU faced a rare early deficit, the offense began to click in the third frame.
Senior outfielder Lesley Rogers smacked a two run double down the right field line to surge ASU in front 3-2.
Senior catcher Kaylyn Castillo blasted a home run in the third inning too add to the lead.
The third inning saw Donnenwirth line a ball to deep right centerfield where Banks and VT right fielder Marra Hvozdovic collided. Both players were shaken up and removed from the game.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth, Rogers cleared the bases with a double into right centerfield that extended ASU’s lead to 10-3.
Rogers would finish with two doubles and five RBI.
In the top of the seventh, Escobedo set the Hokies down in order to cap off a complete game, 16-strikeout performance.
The win streak ended Thursday night against Michigan with a tough 1-0 loss to the Wolverines. The Sun Devils will now face three teams on Friday in the Judi Garmen Classic.
While the ASU bats have been hot of late, Myers believes his team will be tested in the upcoming tournament.
“I think this week coming up is going to give us a good indication of how good a hitting team we are,” Myers said. “We’re going to play five very good teams. All five have very good pitching.”
Reach the reporter at greg.dillard@asu.edu
