Feb. 14, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - The Sun Devils offense came out to play putting up 11 runs and 15 hits in their doubleheader Saturday to take a 5-2 win over Iowa and 6-2 win over Kent State to wrap Day Two of the Littlewood Classic. The Sun Devils are now 10-1 overall with one more game left in the weekend.
Up first against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Hillary Bach came out to defend her flawless record of 5-0 which saw her come out of the gates strong with a three-up, three-down first, but the Hawkeyes got the best of Bach in the second, collecting four hits for two runs in the second before Bach shut them down. A State rallied back with a run of their own in the bottom half as Kaylyn Castillo loped a double to right center only to be brought home with a single from Ashley Muenz and a Hawkeye error.
The rest of the offense was all ASU though as Kaitlin Cochran hit a 1-2 pitch in the third inning back to the future to plate one and tie the game at 2-2 before ASU took the lead for good in the sixth after a lead-off walk to Katelyn Boyd cost the Hawkeyes as a double down the left line from Katie Crabb brought her home before Annie Lockwood stepped in to crush a 1-1 pitch deep to right center in only her third career at-bat.
Hillary Bach shut it down for the Sun Devils to finish the Hawkeyes as she allowed only seven hits and two runs while striking out six en route to her sixth win of the season and ASU's ninth.
Round two of the doubleheader saw the Sun Devils match-up against the Kent State Golden Flashes where ASU lit up the scoreboard for nine hits and six runs as Mapes got it started in the third with a single to short before Krista Donnenwirth hit a shot to left to plate two. An RBI single in the fourth from Jessie Ware gave them the 3-0 lead.
The fifth broke it open for the Sun Devils though as Kaitlin Cochran took a lead-off four pitch walk to start the inning before Caylyn Carlson lined a 2-2 pitch to left field to add two more for the Sun Devils before Mandy Urfer went back-to-back taking a full count pitch deep to right center. Megan Ellsworth stepped in to take the win in the circle giving up only four hits to close it out for ASU.
The Sun Devils will wrap the Littlewood Classic tomorrow at 1 p.m. when they take on the Idaho State Bengals. Games start at 9 a.m. in Tempe at Farrington Stadium.