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.