April 6, 2013
Sunday 12 p.m. PT | Live Stats
STANFORD, Calif. - The Arizona State softball team (36-3, 7-1 Pac-12) took a pair of victories at 14th-ranked Stanford (26-12, 4-7 Pac-12) in a twin bill on Saturday afternoon. Game one saw a high-scoring 12-6 pounding while the night cap was an 11-2 mercy rule victory after six innings.
The Sun Devils recorded five home runs and 22 hits through two games on Saturday. Both ASU pitchers picked up wins, improving Dallas Escobedo to 19-3 and Mackenzie Popescue to 16-0.
At the dish against Stanford, Amber Freeman paces ASU with four hits, two homers, nine RBI and a 1.375 slugging percentage. Haley Steele and Lucy Aubrecht also match Freeman's .500 batting average, with three hits/five RBI and two hits/three RBI, respectively.
GAME ONE: ASU 12, Stanford 6
Cheyenne Coyle got things bumping in game one of the three-game series, homering her 13th long ball of the season in the opening frame. On a full count, the junior sent one sailing to center, making it the 33rd time this season ASU has scored first in the game.
In the second inning, Coyle represented both RBI of the contest by that point; with bases loaded and reaching via base on balls she pushed around Bethany Kemp to make it a 2-0 lead.
Stanford looked poised to put runs on the board in the bottom of the third on bases loaded. Working from behind with only one out, ASU turned a double play, its 21st this year, to get out of the jam unscathed. The Cardinal would answer in the bottom of the fourth however, in another bases loaded situation.
Prior to Stanford tacking up three runs, Arizona State added a trio of additional runs to the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Amber Freeman doubled to right center, plating Bailey Wigness, Kayla Ketchum and Sam Parlich to make it 5-0. Stanford grabbed their three runs, 5-3, in the bottom of the inning and forced ASU's starting pitcher Mackenzie Popescue to be relieved by Dallas Escobedo.
Jennifer Soria tipped off another scoring spree for the Sun Devils, five runs on two hits in the fifth. She notched her first career triple to score two, 7-3, in Parlich and pinch runner Allie Butterfield. Freeman then scored Soria after being hit by a ringer on the elbow, followed by consecutive bases-loaded walks to score runners, 10-3.
The Cardinal once again fought back, getting two runs in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run homer to right by Cassandra Roulund. Looking to close the game out, ASU stayed aggressive at the plate in the top of the seventh and scored two more runs for a 12-5 lead. Haley Steele homered to left and brought in with her Coyle, who reached on her third walk of the game.
Stanford scored one final run in the final stanza, 12-6, but the Sun Devils hung on to their early lead for the victory. Dallas Escobedo picked up the win in relief with seven strikeouts in 4.0 innings to improve to 19-3. Teagan Gerhart falls to 14-6 after 4.1 innings worked.
Nine Sun Devils got hits in the game, Coyle finished with three runs scored, two RBI and three walks. Steele also had three walks, three RBI and one run scored.
Woot woot! @asusoftball won both of their games against Stanford today. Can you say #relentless? Way to go, ladies!
-- Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) April 7, 2013
GAME TWO: ASU 11, Stanford 2 (6)
ASU got off on the same foot as game one, a solo homer in the first inning. Freeman got her 12th of the season on a 1-0 count and two outs already on the board. Lucy Aubrecht joined in on Saturday's hitting clinic, sneaking a homer over the left field wall in the second to give the Sun Devils the 2-0 edge.
Freeman kept dealing, getting her second home run of the game in the top of the third, a three-RBI shot to center that boosted Arizona State to 5-0. Freeman would go on to finish a team-best 3-for-4 at the plate with five RBI and two runs scored.
It didn't take long for Stanford to bounce back though, getting on the board in the bottom of the third, unearned 5-1, after an outfield miscue. Freeman had an answer to that as well, singling up the middle to plate Wigness and extend the ASU lead once again to five runs, 6-1.
The scoring continued in the sixth with an explosion of ASU's score to 11-1 on five hits. Stanford kept pushing, leading the bottom of the frame with a homer by Kayla Bonstrom to right. A double play made quick work of the Cardinal, giving ASU a final 11-2 mercy rule win after six and Popescue's 16th victory in the circle. Kelsey Stevens, 10-5, took the loss for Stanford.
11-2 win after six innings in Game two. First win Saturday was 12-6 in game one. @thesundevils finish series v No. 14 Stanford noon Sunday
-- ASU Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 7, 2013
UP NEXT
ASU closes out the series against Stanford at noon PT on Sunday. Live stats and updates via Twitter @ASUSoftball will be available for this game.
NOTES
ASU has scored first in 34 games this year and is 33-1 when doing so.
The 10 walks in game one tie the season high of single-game walks issued to ASU batters. First game with 10 walks was Feb. 23 against Portland State.
Cheyenne Coyle has 13 home runs so far and is tied for 16th in single-season home runs at ASU.
Haley Steele's homer in game one is her seventh on the year and 18th of her career, good for 17th all-time.
Amber Freeman's two homers in game two are her 12th and 13th of the season and giver her 27 for her career. She is 12th all-time at ASU in career homers. In single-season homers her 2013 tally (13) is tied for 16th all-time.
This is the second time in Freeman's career she has hit two homers in a single game. The first was last week on March 30, 2013 against Oregon State. Freeman also tied a career high in single-game RBI with five. A accomplishment she has done once before, vs. Michigan State Feb. 15, 2013.
Lucy Aubrecht's homer in game two is her fourth of the season.