TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 8 Arizona State softball team (31-4, 5-1 Pac-12) and their bats could not be stopped Saturday afternoon as they swept another set of doubleheader games against North Dakota State and BYU to close out their weekend slate. The Sun Devils have now won 21 of their last 23 games, including their last eight outings.
"You can't be doing this if you don't love to be competitive and that feeling of going out there day in and day out and working your tail off," head coach Trisha Ford said of her teams success this weekend. "For me, I just enjoy being their coach. I enjoy seeing them in the dugout. I enjoy seeing their conversations. This team is a lot of fun".
With the pair of wins Saturday, ASU improved to 31-4 on the season, including a 23-3 record at home. With the 31 wins, ASU has reached the 30-win plateau for the 23rd- straight season.
On the weekend, the Sun Devils outhit their opponents 40-10, leading to a 36-6 ASU advantage in runs scored. ASU was equally as dominant in the circle, holding opposing hitters to just a miniscule .122 batting average on the weekend.
Game 1: ASU 9, North Dakota State 1
In the first game of the afternoon, G Juarez remained relentless in the circle for the Sun Devils, striking out seven of the first nine Bison batters en route to the seventh straight ASU victory. The three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week struck out nine total hitters and only allowed one run for her 15th win of the season.
The first two innings of the game remained scoreless before the Sun Devil bats got hot in the bottom of the third. Six-straight ASU hits led to a comfortable, 6-0, lead by the end of the frame. Taylor Becerra, Kindra Hackbarth, Jade Gortarez and Morgan Howe all recorded singles, before Danielle Gibson blasted an RBI-double to center field bringing Marisa Stakiewicz to the plate with runners on second and third. The senior took care of business, launching three-run shot over the center-field wall to put Arizona State up, 6-0.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Howe hit a double down the right field line and Stankiewicz added another double to bring Howe home. Stankiewicz went two-for-two in the game while recording her second multi-RBI game of the season.
The Bison's Vanessa Anderson hit a homerun in the top of the fifth to cut the Sun Devils' lead to 7-1, but two more Arizona State singles via Becerra and K. Hackbarth, and a double by Gortarez in the bottom of the inning closed out the 9-1 ASU run-rule victory.
Game 2: ASU 10, BYU 3
In the second game, the Sun Devils' bats remained hot from game one. Stankiewicz, Howe and K. Hackbarth all posted multi-hit games again to power the Sun Devils to a 10-3 victory over the Cougars.
BYU got on the board first in game two, taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second. But it's there that the Sun Devils took control, as three consecutive walks by the Cougar pitching staff left the bases loaded for Kindra Hackbarth who took it out of town for a grand slam, her first home run of the season.
The Cougars added another run in the top of the third to cut the Arizona State lead to 4-2, but two more walks and a two-run RBI double by Bella Loomis brought in Stankiewicz and Nichole Chilson to bring the Sun Devil lead back to four runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, Gortarez singled while Howe doubled and Stankiewicz added her second home run of the day. The red shirt senior decided that wasn't enough however as she blasted one more out of the park for her second multi-home run game this season.
In the circle, Alyssa Loza pitched the first two innings while senior Dale Ryndak picked up the win in the next three innings before Breanna Macha closed out the victory.
"You can't be doing this if you don't love to be competitive and that feeling of going out there day in and day out and working your tail off," head coach Trisha Ford said of her teams success this weekend. "For me, I just enjoy being their coach. I enjoy seeing them in the dugout. I enjoy seeing their conversations. This team is a lot of fun".
With the pair of wins Saturday, ASU improved to 31-4 on the season, including a 23-3 record at home. With the 31 wins, ASU has reached the 30-win plateau for the 23rd- straight season.
On the weekend, the Sun Devils outhit their opponents 40-10, leading to a 36-6 ASU advantage in runs scored. ASU was equally as dominant in the circle, holding opposing hitters to just a miniscule .122 batting average on the weekend.
Game 1: ASU 9, North Dakota State 1
In the first game of the afternoon, G Juarez remained relentless in the circle for the Sun Devils, striking out seven of the first nine Bison batters en route to the seventh straight ASU victory. The three-time Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week struck out nine total hitters and only allowed one run for her 15th win of the season.
The first two innings of the game remained scoreless before the Sun Devil bats got hot in the bottom of the third. Six-straight ASU hits led to a comfortable, 6-0, lead by the end of the frame. Taylor Becerra, Kindra Hackbarth, Jade Gortarez and Morgan Howe all recorded singles, before Danielle Gibson blasted an RBI-double to center field bringing Marisa Stakiewicz to the plate with runners on second and third. The senior took care of business, launching three-run shot over the center-field wall to put Arizona State up, 6-0.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, Howe hit a double down the right field line and Stankiewicz added another double to bring Howe home. Stankiewicz went two-for-two in the game while recording her second multi-RBI game of the season.
The Bison's Vanessa Anderson hit a homerun in the top of the fifth to cut the Sun Devils' lead to 7-1, but two more Arizona State singles via Becerra and K. Hackbarth, and a double by Gortarez in the bottom of the inning closed out the 9-1 ASU run-rule victory.
Game 2: ASU 10, BYU 3
In the second game, the Sun Devils' bats remained hot from game one. Stankiewicz, Howe and K. Hackbarth all posted multi-hit games again to power the Sun Devils to a 10-3 victory over the Cougars.
BYU got on the board first in game two, taking a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second. But it's there that the Sun Devils took control, as three consecutive walks by the Cougar pitching staff left the bases loaded for Kindra Hackbarth who took it out of town for a grand slam, her first home run of the season.
The Cougars added another run in the top of the third to cut the Arizona State lead to 4-2, but two more walks and a two-run RBI double by Bella Loomis brought in Stankiewicz and Nichole Chilson to bring the Sun Devil lead back to four runs.
In the bottom of the fourth, Gortarez singled while Howe doubled and Stankiewicz added her second home run of the day. The red shirt senior decided that wasn't enough however as she blasted one more out of the park for her second multi-home run game this season.
In the circle, Alyssa Loza pitched the first two innings while senior Dale Ryndak picked up the win in the next three innings before Breanna Macha closed out the victory.