ASU Softball: Devils win both in Saturday doubleheader

Following Friday’s wins against North Dakota State and Brigham Young, ASU softball defeated their non-conference opponents once again Saturday.

Brooms were brought to Farrington Stadium Saturday.

Arizona State completed the sweeps of North Dakota State and Brigham Young Saturday in day two of the ASU Invitational.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the Sun Devils were led by another Giselle “G” Juarez gem.

After pitching a no-hitter Friday, Juarez only allowed one hit and one earned run in five innings, improving her record to 15-1 on the season. The lone NDSU run came from a home run in the fifth, ending Juarez’s 79-inning scoreless streak.

“I mean everything was working,” Juarez said. “I felt comfortable, I felt good.”

Of Juarez’s 16 batters faced, nine were struck out.

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Not only did ASU have success in the circle against NDSU, but they also performed exceptionally at the plate. The Sun Devils scored nine times in the first game of the doubleheader, with six coming during the second inning.

Marisa Stankiewicz was a key contributor in the win, recording four RBIs, three of which came off a home run to center field.

The combination of brilliant performances offensively and defensively was too much for the Bison to handle, and ASU won in run-rule fashion, 9-1.

Although they trailed early in the game, the second game of the doubleheader was much like the first.

BYU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly, but that advantage was short-lived.

In the second inning, Kindra Hackbarth hit her first home run in her college career in the form of a grand slam, giving the Sun Devils a 4-1 lead.

“It felt really good,” Hackbarth said. “I was all happy, I was running around the bases so fast, coach was there, and it was just an amazing feeling.”

Similar to the first game, Stankiewicz was once again a big factor at the plate in Arizona State’s win against the Cougars, hitting two home runs.

“I was definitely seeing the ball really well today,” Stankiewicz said. “Even in BP, I didn’t want to do too much that I didn’t need to. I was feeling pretty good from the get-go.”

While the NDSU game was an individual effort in the circle, the team’s win against BYU included three different pitchers.

Alyssa Loza started the game for the Sun Devils but was replaced to start the third inning. In her brief outing, she gave up just one run off one hit.

In replacement of Loza, Dale Ryndak pitched for three innings and picked up her fourth win of the season. Because of ASU’s success at the plate, there was not much pressure for Ryndak, even though she gave up two runs.

Breanna Macha pitched the last two innings of the game for the Sun Devils, and she did not allow a hit or run, completing the 10-3 win for the Sun Devils.

With the win, the Sun Devils are now 31-4 on the season, but the meat of the conference season remains on their schedule.

“I think if I have to motivate them we’re in trouble,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said. “They want it. They want to compete day in and day out, and that part is very exciting to me.”

Arizona State has now won their last eight games, and the Sun Devils will look to continue their winning ways next weekend against Oregon State. The Sun Devils will travel to Corvallis for a series against a Beaver team that is 20-15 this year.

Next: ASU Softball: Juarez’s no-hitter caps doubleheader sweep

“They’re a tough team,” Ford said. “We get to play a great team, and we get to go out and play the game.”

All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.

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