March 30, 2013
TEMPE, Ariz. - Arizona State softball swept the Oregon State series on Saturday with an 11-0 shutout mercy rule in five innings thanks to five home runs.
Amber Freeman hit a team best 2-for-3 with two runs scored and four RBI after belting two home runs against Oregon State. The Sun Devils (34-3, 5-1 Pac-12) had five homers on the day to subdue OSU (23-9, 0-3 Pac-12) in the series finale.
Dallas Escobedo is 18-3 overall in her sixth shutout win of the season. She ties Sun Devil Hall of Famer Erica Beach with 79 career wins, good for fourth all-time at ASU.
Freeman got things started explosively for Arizona State, roping her 10th home run of the year in the bottom of the first. Her glow ball to center was on a full count with two outs on the board. The sophomore catcher wasn't done however, getting her second long ball in the third frame to stretch ASU's 4-0 lead. Freeman represented all RBI on the stat sheet at that point, a record setting performance for her as it marked the first time in her career she has hit multiple home runs in a single game.
The Beavers elected to bring in Marina Demore to pitch in the bottom of the fourth, retiring starter Tina Andreana after 3.0 innings. ASU picked up the momentum and would make it 11-0 via seven runs on four hits and three homers by the end of the stanza.
Getting home runs in the bottom of the fourth were Sam Parlich, her eighth of the year, Cheyenne Coyle, her 12th, and Elizabeth Caporuscio, her fifth. Six of the seven runs in the frame were plated by homer - Alix Johnson picked up an RBI-single to score Bailey Wigness, unearned.
This is the second time this season that Arizona State has put five home runs on the scoreboard in a game, the first on Feb. 28 against North Dakota. Oregon State's Andreana took the loss and falls to 4-2.
[PHOTO GALLERY] Pictures from our 11-0 (5) win against No. 23 Oregon State on Saturday @thesundevils thesundevils.com/view.gal?id=13... @pac12
-- ASU Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 31, 2013
Up Next
Arizona State travels to Stanford for a doubleheader on April 6 starting at 2 p.m. The twin bill will be aired on the Pac-12 Network. The series finale will be April 7 at 12 p.m. noon, but not shown on TV. Updated softball TV schedule here. Complete season schedule here.
Follow Along
The entire Stanford series will have live stats and updates via Twitter @ASUSoftball. Saturday's doubleheader at 2 and 4:30 p.m. will be on TV on the Pac-12 Network.
Watch It Again
Replays of the Arizona State vs. Oregon State March 30 game will be aired on Pac-12 Arizona on March 30 at 10 p.m. PT, March 31 at 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. PT.
Can't watch now? Replays of this game on national and Arizona @pac12 Networks listed on picture @thesundevils @asu twitter.com/ASUSoftball/st...
-- ASU Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 30, 2013
Notes
With the win, Dallas Escobedo is tied for fourth all-time at ASU in wins with Sun Devil Hall of Famer Erica Beach who tallied her 79 victories from 1999-2002
Amber Freeman's homer in the bottom of the first was her 10th this season. Her second homer pushes her to 11 home runs this year. She has 24 in her career tying her for 13th with Alix Johnson all-time at ASU.
This is the first time that Freeman has hit multiple home runs in a game in her career
Cheyenne Coyle's team-best 12th homer of the season ties her for 18th in ASU single-season records.
Sam Parlich's homer moves her to 12th all-time at ASU with a total of 25.
Elizabeth Caporuscio's homer is her 21st of her career and ranks her at 16th all-time at ASU.
Nikki Girard had two home runs in the series against OSU and Haley Steele had one. They helped make up eight of the homers ASU had in the weekend series, OSU had two. Steele ties for 19th all-time with 17 career homers.
ASU is on a current nine-game homer streak, getting at least one home run dating back to March 15 against No. 15 Michigan. The team has homered in 31 of 37 games this year and 19 of those games have had multiple long shots.
This is the second time this season that ASU has hit five home runs in a single game. The last was Feb. 28 against North Dakota.
ASU leads Oregon State 75-29 dating back to 1977. ASU has won the last four meetings dating back to April 10, 2012.
Softball now has two Pac-12 series captured, the first 2-1 at then 12th-ranked UCLA. This is the first Pac-12 conference series sweep since Utah, May 5-6, 2012.
.@asusoftball Cheyenne Coyle Walk-off Grand Slam vs. #OregonState ow.ly/jAtiY
-- Sun Devil Athletics (@TheSunDevils) March 30, 2013