College Softball News

Arizona State Softball Upsets Baylor

Arizona State Softball
Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics

FULLERTON, Calif. – If the first two days of the 2015 Judi Garman Classic are any indication, the No. 22/23 Arizona State University softball team might petition for some more games in Fullerton, Calif., as the Devils took down No. 9/10 Baylor, 8-2, on Friday afternoon.

A day removed from knocking off No. 3/2 Michigan in extra innings, 2-0, true freshman RHP Breanna Macha had another quality outing and took down her second top-10 team in as many days.

This time, she had a little help from behind the plate.

The Sun Devils (18-7) exploded for 12 hits and eight runs against a Baylor (12-3) pitching staff that entered the game with a 1.04 team ERA and hadn’t given up more than four runs in a game all season.

ASU got that many in the second inning alone and did it with the bottom half of the lineup, no less.

The Devils jumped on Baylor ace Heather Stearns quickly and back-to-back-to-back singles by Chelsea Gonzales, Sashel Palacios and Elizabeth Caporuscio – the 5-6-7 batters in the lineup – placed runners on second and third with no outs in the top of the second and a quick 1-0 lead.

Bethany Kemp wasn’t through, however, and the senior first baseman batting out of the eight-hole launched a three-run homer to left field to give ASU an early 4-0 lead. It was the second home run of the weekend for Kemp after launching a grand slam in Thursday’s 10-3 victory over Cal State Fullerton.

The early lead provided some cushion for Macha (9-4), who got herself out of jams in both the second and third innings where she faced runners on third in both innings but kept the potent Bear offense off the board.

Baylor made a run of things in the fourth, however, climbing back within 4-2 on a two-out RBI single by Lindsey Cargill as the Baylor bats looked to start coming alive.

The Devils did their part in the top of the fifth, however, making up for those runs and then some – against relying on the bottom of the order to get things going.

Gonzales and Palacios drew back-to-back walks and Caporuscio singled to bring home Gonzales. A Kemp walk would load the bases with no outs. After a Nikki Girard pop out, Sierra Rodriguez wore her first of two hit by pitches in the contest to plate Palacios and give ASU a 6-2 lead.

Jenn Soria would reach on a fielder’s choice that eliminated Caporuscio on the force out at home to bring up Haley Steele, who sent a two-out single right up the middle to bring two more across and give ASU a comfortable 8-2 lead.

That paved the way for Macha, who responded to the two-out fourth inning by retiring the next nine Baylor batters in succession to close out the game.

ASU saw all four members of the Baylor pitching staff in the contest, carving up a lineup that had given up an average of just four hits per game this season and one that had held No. 2 Oregon to just five total runs in two games earlier this season.

The victory gave ASU a win over its third different top-10 opponent in the NFCA Coaches Poll this season (Michigan and Oklahoma the others), making the Devils the only team in the country to lay such a claim. Florida has three top-10 victories this season but two have come against Michigan while Michigan has four top-10 wins this year with two each coming against Alabama and Florida State.

The Devils will close out the Judi Garman Classic tomorrow with two more games, slated to take on San Jose State at 3 p.m. PT before squaring off with No. 14/18 Auburn and former head coach Clint Myers in the nightcap at 8 p.m. Fans are also encouraged to tune in and interact with the ASU Softball live blog, which will be operating throughout the weekend to keep fans in the loop.

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