With a runner on third and no one out, senior and star pitcher Kenzie Brown knew she needed perfection. It was only the top of the second inning on Friday night, April 24, at a sold-out Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium.
Facing the No. 2/5 Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Sun Devils couldn't give up early momentum.
So, Brown did what she's done most of her Sun Devil career. She struck out Lauren Allred. Then she struck out Taylor Pannell on just three pitches, before a flyout to center ended the inning.
The very next inning, Brown found herself in trouble again. With a runner on third and two outs, Brown orchestrated a full count battle that ended in another strikeout.
But then, the Red Raiders showed their might. With two outs and no one on base, Brown hit Allred on an inside pitch. The very next pitch, Pannell went deep. It gave Texas Tech its first lead of the series — something they wouldn't relinquish.
Brown's performance emulated the effort of the Sun Devils. Despite competing throughout the series, the Red Raiders were too much for ASU, sweeping them in their final home games of the regular season. It brings ASU to 8-13 in Big 12 play and 35-16 overall.
The Red Raiders proved to be a better, steadier squad. They outscored ASU 20-6, while holding them to five hits or fewer in each contest.
Facing off against a national contender gave the Devils a glimpse into the level required for a postseason run. The Red Raiders finished as runners-up in last season's Women's College World Series and continue to be a high-caliber team.
"To bank that experience before you head into the Big 12 Championship, before you head to the postseason regional, I think it's tremendous," head coach Megan Bartlett said. "If you're talking about chasing Oklahoma City, then those are the kind of arms you're going to have to face to get there."
Game one saw an intense pitchers' duel, with neither team scoring through the first three innings. Brown ended the game with 10 strikeouts, the 11th time she's reached at least 10 this season.
Despite her effort, Texas Tech's offense, ranked third in runs per game, managed to put four runs past her. They would score two more on Aissa Silva, who pitched the final inning.
Brown was bested by junior Kaitlyn Terry, who pitched a complete game shutout in just 91 pitches. It was her 11th complete game and fourth shutout of her season. She gave up two hits and one walk, with seven strikeouts. ASU connected well on several swings, but they repeatedly found outfielders' gloves.
"I thought you saw two really plus arms go at it tonight," Bartlett said. "Kaitlyn Terry had a great night, and I thought Kenzie (Brown) had a really good night."
Then, it was time to face NiJaree Canady, the defending Big 12 Pitcher of the Year.
ASU responded. On the first pitch of the third inning, senior outfielder Tanya Windle hit a home run. Then redshirt senior Kaylee Pond hit an infield single. Junior catcher Emily Schepp added a two-run home run, scoring Pond for a final exclamation mark to the inning.
Despite the offensive explosion, ASU didn't manage to take the lead. The reason: a defensive disaster at the top of the inning.
ASU shortstop Brooklyn Ulrich made three errors in the inning, resulting in four unearned runs scoring on just two hits. The game would continue to go back and forth before the Red Raiders ultimately hung on to a 7-5 victory.
"Today was really a heartbreaker," Bartlett said via Sun Devil Athletics. "I thought we started to hunt better pitches and execute the offensive game plan better than last night. We were even able to run into a few pitches that left the yard."
In the finale, ASU faced Canady again, a day after her seven-inning, nine-strikeout performance. She followed it up by pitching five more innings with four strikeouts, four walks and one unearned run that came on an error by shortstop Hailey Toney.
"If you were going to ... design a superstar in softball, you would call her NiJaree (Canady)," Bartlett said.
For ASU, Silva took the mound for the final game in front of the Sun Devil fans this season. She gave up five earned runs, marking a fourth straight game she's allowed two or more runs.
Pannell led the way for the Texas Tech offense, tallying four hits, five RBIs and two home runs in the series. For the Sun Devils, it was Schepp's four hits, two RBIs and one home run that led a mostly lackluster attack.
"Consistency definitely continues to be a bit of a struggle," Bartlett said. "But the reality is that's a good ball club that's probably going to compete for a national championship. So take the good, carry what you can with you into the next weekend and go take care of business."
ASU is set to travel to Utah to take on BYU in its final series of the regular season. Then, it will be time for the postseason: a chance to prove they've learned what it takes to compete with the best of the best.
"This team continues to be resilient," Bartlett said. "I mean, that's the reality of this phase. It's kind of come in weird spots in the year, but they continue to battle, and they continue to fight for one another."
Edited by Alan Deutschendorf, Jack McCarthy and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at jakobarnarsson@gmail.com.
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