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ASU Softball: Kajikawa Classic Recap

By Alec Henden

Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils mascot Sparky poses for a photo during the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /
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The warm early February weather wasn’t the only pleasant surprise for ASU softball in Tempe this weekend.

The ASU Softball team cruised in the Kajikawa Classic winning seven games in four days to begin the season with a perfect 7-0 record. The Trisha Ford era in Tempe begins strong for a program looking to make noise in a competitive PAC-12 conference.

The Sun Devils strong pitching attack of Breanna Macha and Dale Ryndak provided a glimpse into the future of the program as the duo combined to allow three earned runs in 35 innings of work. The junior right-handers showed their versatility for ASU, by successfully starting and closing games in the weekend matchups.

Macha during the Purdue game entered the contest in the sixth inning during a bases loaded no out mess, and easily retired the middle of Purdue’s order behind the strength of her spicy cheddar rise ball. Ryndak began her campaign literally perfect, retiring all 21 UTEP hitters for the Sun Devils first win and sixth perfect game in program history.

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Not to be outdone, ASU’s offense had a good weekend with the bats as the team combined to hit .314 on the weekend including stand out performances by middle of the infield duo Chelsea Gonzales and Marisa Stankiewicz. Each provided a power show with Stankiewicz hitting two home runs, and Gonzales driving in 10 runs on the weekend. Finding offense up the middle is incredibly important for the Sun Devils to have success this season.

The key to Arizona State’s success might stem from the length in their lineup. The team is able to hit junior Nichole Chilson lower in the batting order expanding the opportunities to score runs in parts of the order that are typically more pitcher friendly.

Left-handed hitting sophomore Taylor Becerra’s ability to slash is also important to the team, as it forces the opponent to play their third basemen even with the bag allowing more ground balls to sneak into left field for hits.

Observing this team it’s clear that under Ford the team will look to be very aggressive on the base paths. In the Purdue game Friday night, lead off hitter Skylar McCarty hit a slicing line drive to left field that snuck by the Boiler Maker left fielder all the way to the wall. Ford, coaching third sent McCarty even though the ball reached the cutoff man’s glove at the same time McCarty was rounding third base.

The move was surprising as ASU had plenty of good hitters coming up and sending McCarty didn’t appear like a risk worth taking. It will be interesting to see if this will be Ford’s approach with base runners the rest of this season.

Next: ASU Basketball Escapes Stanford

ASU now will host the Littlewood Classic next weekend at Farrington Stadium, including a matchup with the SEC powerhouse Missouri Tigers. All of the games next weekend can be viewed through the ASU Live Stream. For now, the Sun Devils aggressive play will have folks tuned in, but let’s wait until conference play to see if the audience is indeed captivated.

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