No. 15 ASU swept Cal State Fullerton with a run-rule in game one and a 5-2 victory in the second.
Game one
ASU run-ruled Cal State Fullerton 8-0 off of a dominant complete-game shutout from freshman pitcher Allison Royalty, who pitched six innings, struck out nine batters and allowed no runs.
"She's done a really good job of hitting her spot," coach Trisha Ford said. "The great thing about Allison is she is one of the most accountable pitchers that I've ever coached."
After neither team scored in the first inning, ASU found themselves in prime position to get on the board after fifth-year senior designated player Allison Tatnall walked and sophomore right fielder Jazmine Hill reached base on an error to start the bottom of the second inning.
Senior first baseman DeNae Chatman moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt, and junior left fielder Makenna Harper scored Tatnall for ASU’s first run of the game off of an error from Titans junior first baseman Daisy Munoz.
ASU's offense came alive in the fifth inning. Fifth-year senior center fielder Kindra Hackbarth got the offense going with a solo home run off of Titan senior pitcher Sophie Frost. Frost finished the day pitching 4.2 innings and allowing just two earned runs.
The Titans replaced Frost with freshman pitcher Savannah Serrata in the bottom of the fifth, and she subsequently walked both Tatnall and Hill to load the bases, leading to her surrendering a grand slam to Chatman, pushing the Sun Devils’ lead to 6-0.
Senior second baseman Halle Harger and Kindra Hackbarth started off the bottom of the sixth inning with back-to-back singles, and fifth-year senior catcher Maddi Hackbarth ended the game with a two-run double.
"Our biggest thing is to jump on as quick as we can," Hill said. "Once we start getting runs, our biggest thing is to continue that and just finish strong and not let up."
Game two
The second game featured several depth players earning more playing time. Sophomore Macy Simmons started for Maddi Hackbarth at catcher, sophomore Jordyn VanHook replaced Tatnall and junior Yannira Acuña filled in for Harper at left field.
"With our large roster, it's really important that we continue to develop," Ford said. "We've got a lot of talent on our bench. It's going to be important and vital for us in order for us to be successful at the end of the year to continue these players' development.
Sophomore pitcher Lindsay Lopez earned the start and the win in the circle, allowing only two runs in five innings pitched.
"I think she did a tremendous job battling out there today," Ford said. "She just did a really good job of pounding the pitch and pounding the zone. There's a lot of growth going on for Lindsay right now."
ASU was able to take advantage of early mistakes early from the Titans, scoring two unearned runs in the bottom of the first.
Kindra Hackbarth, followed up her strong first game with another strong performance, notching her second home run of the day in the fourth frame.
"(The home runs) felt good," Kindra Hackbarth said. "It was a slow start (to the season), but now it's coming along. The main problem was my timing and when to step and when not to step, but I figured it out."
Hill also recorded a two-run home run, which gave the Sun Devils their fifth and final run of the night.
Fifth-year senior pitcher Cielo Meza entered the game in the sixth inning for Lopez, allowing no hits in two innings pitched.
ASU will play New Mexico next on Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. MST in Tempe.
Reach the reporters at drodish@asu.edu and cfahrend@asu.edu and follow @david_rodish and @chris_drop_ on Twitter.
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