Gym Devils edge Pittsburgh for fourth-straight win

March 8, 2020

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – In the final home meet of the regular season, the Arizona State gymnastics kept its winning streak alive with a 196.825 to 196.2 victory over Pittsburgh on Sunday.

It was the fourth-consecutive meet the Gym Devils recorded more than 196 points and the fifth time this season. Meanwhile, the Panthers were coming off a 196.5-point outing at West Virginia, the program’s second-highest ever score.

“It shows the resilience all season,” said ASU coach Jay Santos, whose team beat the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats in Tucson on Friday night. “It’s (the streak) huge rankings wise. We had some low scores, and we had a chance to replace them. This week, we had more meets than practices, and now we will get some much deserved rest.”

 Senior Morgan Wilson recorded a 9.85 in her final balance beam routine at home.

Juliette Boyer of ASU posted 9.9s on both the uneven bars and the floor exercise and equaled Morgan Wilson with the top all-around score of 39.35. ASU’s Gracie Reeves won the vault with 9.925 points, and Pitt’s Michaela Burton was the leader on the balance beam at 9.9. Wilson also executed a career high 9.875 on bars in addition to her personal best all-around score.

“It was really important to get it done,” Wilson said. “With my teammates, we trusted each other to this point. It’s impressive that every week we were consistent and kept the ball rolling.”

Sunday’s meet was the final one at Desert Financial Arena for seniors Wilson, Morgan Hart, Ashley Szafranski, Jessica Ginn, and Graycee Zaugg.

“I can’t believe four years have gone by,” said Santos, who took the ASU job in 2016 and recruited these seniors. “I was excited to meet them face to face.”

The Sun Devils will be at No. 5 LSU on Friday before they head to Salt Lake City for the Pac-12 Championships on March 21. Pittsburgh is at Ohio State on Saturday before the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championship is held on March 21 in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Devils hold off the Bulldogs in Weekend Opener

Mike Stockman

PHOENIX, AZ - All around the valley are the sounds and smells of baseball games on this perfect weekend. On Friday evening, the Arizona State Sun Devils baseball team pulled off a victory after a late rally by the Fresno State Bulldogs, winning 4-3 on March 6, 2020 with the weather touching the low 80's during the day, dropping to mid 70's after sunset.

In what seemed to be a poor start for the Devils - allowing the bases to be loaded to start the game - the inning ended leaving all of the runners on base.   When the Devils stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the first inning, they went straight to work, producing three hits, two of which were doubles, and scoring two runs. The Devils led 2-0 going into the second inning.

Bulldogs tied up game in top of seventh inning

As the game progressed, the Devils pitching got tougher and the batting got hotter. By the bottom of the third inning, the Devils' freshman pitcher Cooper Benson had six strike outs. The Devils added another run in the bottom of the third, 3-0.

In the top of the fifth, the Bulldogs scored two runs when a shot to the hole between left and center field couldn't be pulled in with a diving attempt. Benson threw his ninth strike-out to end the inning.

The Bulldogs tied it up in the top of the seventh 3-3, scoring Andrew Kachel from third base while a double play happened behind him.

Call at first led to ejection in bottom of seventh

In the bottom of the 8th inning, the Devils took the lead on a single RBI to center field by Hunter Jump (jr) allowing Spencer Torkelson to score the go ahead run making the final score 4-3.

After this series, the Bulldogs host Pacific for a single game on Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 6:05 p.m.

The Devils host the Arizona Wildcats for the first time this season on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. The game will be covered by Pac-12 Network starting time set for 6:30 p.m. 

New Mexico State stuns No. 17 Sun Devils in softball

March 6, 2020

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – The New Mexico State softball team responded from a blowout loss in the ASU Invitational to upsetting No. 17 Arizona State, 2-0, in a whirlwind Friday at Farrington Stadium.

New Mexico State upsets ASU 2-0

The Aggies were just minutes removed from an 11-3 mercy rule loss to Wright State, an opponent that ASU handled 12-0 on Thursday, when it lined up for the night cap that no one was expecting.

“I told them they’re in the driver’s seat,” ASU coach Trisha Ford said of her team. “Anybody can beat anybody and every pitch counts. We’re taking things for granted. We’re swinging at ball fours, and that’s not who we are. We got some runners on base, but we weren’t getting the hits that we needed.”

The Aggies struck first when catcher Shelby Shultes drove in Asa Vigil off the third baseman’s mitt in the top of the fourth. ASU’s offense came alive in the bottom of the fourth, when  Maddi Hackbarth doubled down the left field foul line with one out, but two were left on base.

Matalasi Faapito drove in Jeanelle Medina for a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth, as NMSU cemented its lead.

A DeNae Chatman double in the bottom of the sixth put two runners in scoring position with one out, but the Aggies brought Felicia De La Torre out of the bullpen, and the freshman struck out the final two ASU batters.

ASU had one more chance in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Second baseman Bella Loomis was inches away from a solo home run, but the ball ricocheted off the fence and she would up on second. On the next play, Jazmine Hill grounded out to end the game.

“We are young, and we just need that confidence and grow,” ASU senior outfielder Kindra Hackbarth added. “We need to show up better and keep fighting. We can’t be laid back; we need to fight every pitch and every at bat. Our pitching staff showed up today, but our bats didn’t.”

Madison Preston and Samantha Mejia each recorded six strikeouts for ASU, with Preston given the loss. Starter Analise De La Roca was the winner for NMSU with one strikeout in five innings.

NMSU will play Oregon State at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, while ASU plays two games at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. against Nebraska and Lehigh.

No. 15 Sun Devils obliterate Wright State to open ASU Invitational

March 5, 2020

By Scott Mammoser

TEMPE, Ariz. – Freshman right fielder Jazmine Hill’s two-run home run to center in the bottom of the first opened a 12-0 mercy rule win for the 15^th-ranked Arizona State softball team over Wright State on Friday. It was a rough day for the Raiders (5-19), who lost to Oregon State, 8-0, earlier in the day.

Jazmine Hill hits home run in mercy rule win.

“It was a great game, we did what we were supposed to do offensively,” ASU coach Trisha Ford said. “I didn’t say a lot to them after the game, we took care of business today. We need to refocus and get ready for tomorrow. It’s important for our offense to do what they did tonight, and for some of our young arms to get into these games they are just going to get better and better.”

Following Hill’s first-inning homer, Makenna Harper knocked a grand slam over the left field fence with two strikes and two outs to increase the Sun Devils’ lead to 7-0.

“It made it better because all of my teammates were on base,” the sophomore Harper said of her first home run. “I feel like we’re putting in all of this hard work and it’s paying off. I was just trying to execute and get some runs for the team. I was just trying to get the job done.”

Hill followed up in the second with a lead off triple that was nearly an inside the park home run. Then, Maddi Hackbarth executed a two-run home run with no outs to make it 10-0, followed by a DeNae Chatman solo shot.

“Going into each at bat, I have the same approach,” Hackbarth said. “I love these types of games, I root for us to get seven runs in the first inning, I love that experience.”

The good news for the Raiders is that sophomore pitcher Carly Tuner kept ASU off the boards for the final two innings after she came from the bullpen in the bottom of the second. Samantha Mejia struck out six for ASU, which improved to 17-6.

The ASU Invitational continues through Sunday, with Friday’s games including Wright State’s two games with Nebraska and New Mexico State. The Sun Devils will face NMSU at 7 p.m., their lone game of the day, before they play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. The team has now won five of six, following a three-game losing streak.