March 16, 2002
FULLERTON, Calif. - Arizona State softball head coach Linda Wells earned her 800th career win as the eighth-ranked Arizona State softball team (27-6) routed Rutgers, 11-1 in five innings in the opening round play of the championship bracket at the KIA Klassic Tournament in Fullerton, California. Wells becomes just one of a hand full of coaches all-time to accomplish the feat. She is also just one win shy of winning her 450th as head coach of the Sun Devils.
In the game against Rutgers, Arizona State pounded out 13 hits with eight players recording at least one hit and one RBI as the game ended in the fifth inning under the eight run mercy rule.
The Sun Devils posted a run in the first, two in the third and blew it open with eight in the fourth inning. In the bottom of the first, Phelan Wright doubled home Nichole Thompson from first base for the first run. Rutgers would tie the game early in the second inning off of three of the teams' five hits.
Arizona State would respond with two more runs in the bottom of the third. Wright again doubled, followed by another double by Kara Brun to bring in Wright. Erica Beach then singled in Brun for the 3-1 lead.
ASU would then send 13 batters to the plate in the fourth inning to end the game. Thompson, Brun (2), Missy Hixon, Adriana Garcia (2), Jennifer Forner and Kristin Farber all had RBIs.
Kristen Swetel (4-0) started the game, going three innings with five hits and no earned runs. Beach pitched the final two innings not surrendering a hit with four strikeouts.
Farber paced ASU with a 3-for-3 one run, one RBI game. Wright and Brun each had two hits and two runs scored with Brun knocking in three for a career total of 116, good for second all-time behind Beaches 141.
Up next, Arizona State will face in-state rival Arizona in a quarterfinal match up of Pac-10 foes at 5:00 p.m.