Salt Lake City -- The ninth-ranked Arizona State Sun Devil softball team completed their series sweep of Utah with a 4-3 win at Dumke Family Stadium Sunday afternoon.
Sophomore lefty G Juarez tossed her second complete game of the weekend, allowing just three runs on four hits in her 21st win of the season. Juarez struck out 10 of the 27 batters she faced, pushing her season strikeout total to 250, a mark that ranks ninth all-time in Sun Devil softball history, and is the most for a Sun Devil since Dallas Escobedo struck out 310 in the 2014 season.
The Utes jumped out to an early lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, marking their first lead over the Sun Devils this series.
With neither team able to bring in a run in the second and third innings, freshman DeNae Chatman put the Devils ahead with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth. The long ball for Chatman was her third of the season, and 50th Sun Devil home run this season.
The home side would answer back with another home run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 3-3 contest, heading to the final two inning of regulation.
Sophomore catcher Maddie Hackbarth delivered a clutch hit for the Sun Devils in the top of the sixth. With two on and two out, M. Hackbarth bounced a single through the middle of the infield that scored Morgan Howe from second to put ASU up, 4-3, heading to the seventh.
Juarez would deliver in the late inning, holding the Utes at bay to close out the Sun Devil's second Pac-12 road series sweep of the season.
The Sun Devils will continue their road-trip with a doubleheader against New Mexico State Tuesday afternoon. First pitch in the midweek tilt is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT with game two scheduled to begin at approximately 4 p.m. PT. Following the midweek contest, ASU will return home to face Stanford in their final regular-season home weekend. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 Sun Devil softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.
Sophomore lefty G Juarez tossed her second complete game of the weekend, allowing just three runs on four hits in her 21st win of the season. Juarez struck out 10 of the 27 batters she faced, pushing her season strikeout total to 250, a mark that ranks ninth all-time in Sun Devil softball history, and is the most for a Sun Devil since Dallas Escobedo struck out 310 in the 2014 season.
The Utes jumped out to an early lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first, marking their first lead over the Sun Devils this series.
With neither team able to bring in a run in the second and third innings, freshman DeNae Chatman put the Devils ahead with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth. The long ball for Chatman was her third of the season, and 50th Sun Devil home run this season.
The home side would answer back with another home run in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 3-3 contest, heading to the final two inning of regulation.
Sophomore catcher Maddie Hackbarth delivered a clutch hit for the Sun Devils in the top of the sixth. With two on and two out, M. Hackbarth bounced a single through the middle of the infield that scored Morgan Howe from second to put ASU up, 4-3, heading to the seventh.
Juarez would deliver in the late inning, holding the Utes at bay to close out the Sun Devil's second Pac-12 road series sweep of the season.
The Sun Devils will continue their road-trip with a doubleheader against New Mexico State Tuesday afternoon. First pitch in the midweek tilt is scheduled for 2 p.m. PT with game two scheduled to begin at approximately 4 p.m. PT. Following the midweek contest, ASU will return home to face Stanford in their final regular-season home weekend. Fans can follow all of the action from the 2018 Sun Devil softball season by following @ASUSoftball on Twitter.