A two-home run game by junior catcher Samantha Swan was not enough to lift ASU in game three of the UCF series, dropping the series and the Sun Devils' Big 12 record to 5-10.
Swan had both of the Sun Devils' hits in game three, depositing them over the wall with little doubt, but the rest of the ASU bats were dead silent. For the second game in a row, they were held to three runs or less. Despite the lack of offense, head coach Megan Bartlett loved what she saw out of her catcher.
"(Samantha) will do that," Bartlett said. "If you watch how she trends heading into end of conference season, postseason, she's a tough one. This wouldn't be atypical for her, but she is really seeing it well right now."
Game one saw junior catcher Emily Schepp hit a three-run bomb in the bottom of the first that started a productive day on the offensive side of the ball.
"That fired us up," senior outfielder Tanya Windle said. "When we can get things started from the first inning, it's huge for us."
Graduate pitcher Kenzie Brown nurtured the lead and held the Knights to just one run in a complete game effort and a 7-1 ASU win.
"Pitching with a lead, that's the biggest thing," Brown said. "It opens up and allows you to be more free, you don't have to be too perfect."
However, game two told a different story. ASU was held to seven hits (three by Swan), all of which stayed in the yard, and the Sun Devils could only muster one run before falling 8-1.
Game three was the most explicit example of the Sun Devils living and dying by the home run. Swan reached base all three times, including a solo and two-run home run, as she continued to be a one-person wrecking crew in the middle of the ASU lineup.
Unfortunately for Swan and Co., those two hits were the only ones the Sun Devils notched the entire day. Despite Brown settling in after the second inning and throwing another complete game, the rest of the ASU offense faltered, ending the series on a sour note.
"It's wonderful that (Samantha) is going off," Bartlett said. "But the reality is we can't have one kid going off in the lineup right now, we just got to continue to keep it simple."
All year, it has been imperative that the Sun Devils hit the long ball, but for the most part, that result has worked. ASU has hit more than twice the number of home runs it has given up (70-38) and is now top-15 in the country in total home runs.
Even though the Sun Devils' offensive approach doesn't revolve around the big fly, it is impossible to ignore how much the Sun Devils rely on it to produce runs.
Now ASU looks to rebound in a quick turnaround against No. 23 GCU on Tuesday, before a weekend set at Houston.
So we just need (the lineup) to stay confident," Bartlett said. "They need to stay resilient. The sun's going to come up tomorrow, chance to get a big win on Tuesday."
Edited by Niall Rosenberg, Jack McCarthy and Pippa Fung.
Reach the reporter at mseal6@asu.edu and follow @masonseal23 on X.
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Mason Seal is a reporter in the sports department. He provides intel and paints stories about many different sports for The State Press. He is in his third semester at The State Press.
