March 20, 2008
FULLERTON, Calif. - The 28-game winning streak found itself snapped Thursday in Fullerton as the No. 1 Arizona State Softball team fell 3-2 to Florida State in their first game of the day before firing back to top Illinois 7-2 in their second game. The Sun Devils are now 32-2 overall headed into Day Three of the Judi Garmen Classic.
Game one versus the Florida State Seminoles the game proved to be a tight pitchers battle, though the Sun Devils were able to strike first on the Seminoles as Lesley Rogers drew a walk after an eight-pitch at-bat before being brought to second on a bunt from Krista Donnenwirth. A single from Kristen Miller advanced Rogers before Ashley Muenz hit an RBI ground out to give ASU the 1-0 lead.
The Seminoles answered in the fourth after a costly error in right field put a lead-off single to Brittany Osmon on third where a ground out RBI brought her home to tie it. Kristen Miller sparked the Devils again in the fifth hitting a solo home run for her ninth on the year to regain the lead.
FSU wouldn't go away though as Brittany Osmon dug in again with one on to take a 0-2 pitch deep to right center to plate two and finally take the lead for the Seminoles. Tiffany McDonald closed out the game with six strikeouts and only three hits allowed as they handed ASU only their second loss of the season and claimed retaliation from their 2006 meeting with ASU in the Tempe Super Regional.
Game two gave Megan Elliott the ball against the Illinois Fighting Illini, which showed ASU come out to score first with an RBI single from Katie Crabb to bring in Michelle Nulliner. The Illini had other plans though as they tacked two on the score in the third to take the lead off two hits.
The ASU offense had the last say though as it clicked back into order in the fifth with Rhiannon Baca starting the spark with a lead-off double to left center followed with three more hits and an Illinois error to plate four in the inning. The Sun Devils added another in the sixth as Krista Donnenwirth cracked her eighth home run of the season with a solo shot to left field to bring the game total to its final resting place of 7-2. Megan Elliott picked up her 12th win on the season to keep her record unblemished at 12-0 overall.
The Judi Garmen Classic rolls on tomorrow with the Sun Devils taking on the No. 15 Louisiana-Lafayette Ragun Cajuns at 9 a.m. PT tomorrow in Fullerton at the Titan Softball Complex.