13-run third inning powers Sun Devils over Oregon State

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – The 17^th-ranked Arizona State softball team rebounded from a 5-1 conference-opening loss on Friday night, with an 18-2 slaughtering victory over Oregon State on Saturday.

“I was mostly pleased that we bounced back,” said ASU coach Trisha Ford, who won her 100^th game at the school on Saturday. “Offensively, we’re one of the best in the nation, if you look at our stats, and our pitchers are keeping us in the game. We didn’t have any errors today, and that is the key.”

Kindra Hackbarth opened the scoring in the bottom of the first with a 2-0 count home run to the scoreboard. The Beavers (17-6, 1-1 Pac-12) would tie it in the top of the second, as shortstop Maia Rader doubled to center to score Jessica Garcia.

The Sun Devils (21-8, 1-1 Pac-12) poured in 13 runs on 10 hits in the bottom of the third. Hackbarth stole third, then scored on a Skylar McCarty single with a play at the plate. 

Morgan Howe, who was 3-for-4 with three RBIs on the night, then smacked a two-run home run to make it 4-1. DeNae Chatman, who was robbed at the fence by OSU right fielder Ashton Phillips in the second, delivered a two-run homer to center with two outs. Those would be the first two of 10 runs ASU would score with two outs in the inning, including two more on another Hackbarth hit. After all of that, three runners were left on base, as well.

“It’s a fun environment to be in,” Howe said of the inning. “When we are loose, we play well, and that came out tonight.”

McCarty executed a solo shot to center in the fourth to make it 15-1, her fifth of the season. Alli Tatnall kept the home runs coming with a two-run dinger and two outs. Shelby Weeks sent one over the fence for the Beavers in the top of the fifth, giving them some confidence going forward.

Samantha Mejia tossed six strikeouts in the win (11-3) for ASU, while Meehra Nelson was the losing OSU pitcher (5-2).

“It’s a stress relief really,” Mejia said about pitching after the 13-run inning. “To not have that pressure on you, it’s hard when it’s a 1-1 tie game. For our team to be able to do that is a great feeling.”

In the first game of the series, the Sun Devils trailed 5-0 entering the seventh inning, when catcher Maddi Hackbarth hit her first home run of the season, the only points for ASU in the 

game. The final match of the homestand is at noon on Sunday.

“The excitement of our home opener for conference kind of got us last night,” Ford added. 

“We weren’t who we are, we weren’t loose or having fun. I don’t know who we were. It was nice to see my team tonight. I think for us, it’s just keeping things simple and getting pitches to hit.”

Gym Devils end regular season with tri-meet victory

By Scott Mammoser

Ashley Szafranski performing on balance beam

TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 20 Arizona State gymnastics team will head into the conference championships fresh off a tri-meet victory on Wednesday.

The Gym Devils racked up a season-high 196.550 points, defeating No.17 BYU (195.825) and West Virginia (195.75). The Mountaineers are the first team out of the Top 25. The Pac-12 Championships will be held on Saturday, March 23, at West Valley City, Utah.

“One thing we talked about was to be more aggressive,” ASU coach Jay Santos said. “Routines after mistakes were great routines. It’s great to see a kid go out and be normal and comfortable, with a fall happening in front of them. I am really happy with the performance tonight.”

Cairo Leonard-Baker of ASU was dead even with the Cougars’ Shannon Evans for the all-around lead with 39.425 points, and each scored highest on floor with 9.9s.

“I can’t do it without my teammates,” Leonard-Baker said. “I can’t do anything without them. No one was worried about themselves, we were all in it together for this meet.”

ASU’s Justine Callis won the balance beam with 9.9 points, while three other Gym Devils (Ashley Szafranski, Anne Kuhm and Morgan Wilson) earned personal bests in the three slots below her. Helody Cyrenne of BYU scored an uneven bars-high score of 9.9, edging out Leonard-Baker’s 9.875.

On floor, Corinne Belkoff of the Gym Devils recorded a personal best 9.9 to tie Leonard-Baker, Evans, and Kirah Koshinski of West Virginia for the lead. Koshinski also won the vault with 9.925 points.

“It was so special, I have been dreaming about it for so long,” Belkoff said of the 9.9 mark. “To have it happen in my last home meet is so special.”

Now ASU, which was coming off of a third-place finish in its recent quad-meet at Denver, will be the sixth-highest ranked team in the Pac-12 Championships. Eight teams sponsor women’s gymnastics in the Pac-12, headlined with UCLA and Utah.

“We’re going to take it easy and get some rest,” Santos added. “We’ll feel better and have a normal week of practice after that. We have that confidence back, and I think that’s huge.”

AJ Cephas pulls in double double, but GCU women lose to Seattle U. to conclude regular season

By Scott Mammoser

Seattle University shot 80 percent from long range for most of Saturday’s regular season finale to collect a 70-55 win at Grand Canyon University. The Redhawks, a team that regularly shoots 30 percent in that category, won for only the third time this season (3-26, 3-13 WAC), while the Lopes fell to 7-19 and 5-11, despite AJ Cephas’ 20 points and 10 rebounds.

GCU was locked into the No. 6 seed in the upcoming WAC Tournament, prior to the game, while the Redhawks clinched the No. 7 seed by virtue of its win. The Lopes will meet CSU Bakersfield on March 13 at Las Vegas, and Seattle U. plays No. 2 UT Rio Grande Valley. New Mexico State is the top seed (23-6, 15-1).

The Redhawks were 5-of-6 from downtown in taking a 19-12 lead in the first quarter. At halftime, they boasted a 34-24 advantage, still hot from beyond the arc (7-of-9), while shooting just 5-for-18 from two-point range. GCU, meanwhile, was shooting 32 percent.

Photo by Scott Mammoser

“We’ve been getting ready for it,” said Redhawks center Joana Alves, who scored 14 points. “Three point (shooting) isn’t one of our strengths, but it’s been off lately, and in practices, we’ve been trying to get it back into rhythm. I think the fact that we hit the first ones off the bat gives us confidence.”

Laura Piera of GCU drained a three with the third quarter clock expiring to decrease the deficit to 53-42. She finished second on the team with 11 points.

GCU won the first meeting, 74-73, in 3OT, January 5 in Seattle. Cephas, along with fellow seniors Kavita Akula and Sharon Miller were honored in a postgame ceremony.

Seattle U. lost three of its starters from last season’s team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. Kamira Sanders led the Redhawks with 15 points on Saturday, while Madeline Dopplick and Carla Bieg each added 11 and were a combined 6-of-9 from three. They finished 11-of-16 from long range as a team.

“We were motivated through the whole season because we had a positive attitude,” Alves added. “I think this game motivated us even more to acknowledge it’s basketball and anything can happen.”

Sun Devils obliterate South Dakota in final game of ASU Invitational

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. - The No. 16-ranked Arizona State softball team concluded its hosting of the six-team ASU Invitational this weekend with a 12-0 domination of South Dakota on Sunday.

Sophomore second baseman Bella Loomis amassed six RBIs, with a grand slam in the bottom of the first and another two-run home run in the third – both coming with two outs – in the win.

“I’m more comfortable in the box and changed my stance,” Loomis said. “I am just more comfortable and getting more confident.”

Skylar McCarty opened the scoring for ASU with a home run off the scoreboard, her fourth of the season. The Sun Devils added three more runs in the fourth, with Jade Gortarez doubling and scoring both Morgan Howe and  McCarty. Gortarez scored on a Maddi Hackbarth single. The Sun Devils won the opening game of the event, 6-4 over No. 21 James Madison on Thursday, before losing to No. 23 Michigan, 7-6. Prior to Sunday, they won 17-1 over New Mexico State and 4-1 over Lehigh, combining for a 33-2 total in three games. Freshman Abby Anderson improved to 6-3, allowing three hits.

“I thought Abby threw her best game of the year,” ASU coach Trisha Ford said. “She had good command, her drop ball was dropping and had enough speed. You could see some distinct separation of her pitches. She had a tremendous tempo.”

Lehigh will stay in town for one more non-conference game with ASU at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, before the Pacific-12 Conference season gets into gear with Oregon State visiting Farrington Stadium for three games, beginning March 15 at 7 p.m.

“For conference, it’s going to be the same kind of deal,” the ASU centerfielder Howe said. “Pitchers are making changes and throwing pitches that aren’t necessary strikes. They are going to hone in on our pitches. It’s nice when every single person in the lineup gets things done.”