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ASU Softball: Sun Devils rout Rebels to reach first Super Regional since 2013

By Sam Ficarro

TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 14: The Arizona State Sun Devils mascot 'Sparky' performs during the college football game against the Washington Huskies at Sun Devil Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Huskies 27-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TEMPE, AZ - NOVEMBER 14: The Arizona State Sun Devils mascot 'Sparky' performs during the college football game against the Washington Huskies at Sun Devil Stadium on November 14, 2015 in Tempe, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Huskies 27-17. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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For the first time in five years, ASU softball has advanced to the Super Regionals as they run-ruled Ole Miss 9-0 in five innings.

In front of a packed house at Farrington Stadium, Arizona State prepared for a rematch with Ole Miss in the Tempe Regional Final.

There was a quiet determination in the Sun Devils as head coach Trisha Ford looked on during warm-ups.

“When we did warm ups today, I asked a couple of them because they were really quiet and they said ‘We are focused,'” Ford said. “You could see it in their eyes and I was like ‘Alright, I like this.'”

Arizona State was locked in Sunday night as the Sun Devils run-ruled the Rebels 9-0 in five innings to advance to their first Super Regional in five years.

The Sun Devils came out aggressive in the batter’s box against Ole Miss starter Kaitlin Lee, who gave up five runs in Saturday’s meeting.

Designated player DeNae Chatman, who batted cleanup for the first time this season, blew the game open in the first inning with a three-run home run to deep left center.

Arizona State would tack two more runs in the first inning on a bunt RBI single from shortstop Jade Gortarez and an RBI sac fly from catcher Maddi Hackbarth.

The final start of Lee’s career was a short one as she finished throwing one-third of an inning allowing five earned runs on six hits.

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Everything was working for the Sun Devils. The short game was effective as Ole Miss was disorganized fielding bunts. The power game came via Chatman’s homer. The speed game was effective as well as ASU swiped three bases. The Rebels just ran into a buzzsaw in the Sun Devils.

“You never want to end the season losing, but tip your cap to Arizona State. That’s a good ball club and you’re probably going to see them in Oklahoma City,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Smith said. “I think they’re very well-balanced. They’ve got speed, they’ve got power. Their pitchers attack the zone much more and change speed. They’re a well-balanced team and to get to Oklahoma City, you have to be that.”

Arizona State put the game away in the third inning scoring four runs against Ole Miss reliever Ava Tillmann as two scored on a Gortarez single and error, one on a Hackbarth single and one on a groundout from third baseman Taylor Becerra.

G Juarez and Breanna Macha combined for a five-inning, two-hit shutout combining to strike out six batters.

“I don’t really have a lot of words and they will tell you that I always have words. Just so proud of them tonight,” Ford said. “They came out focused. They were on a mission. Pitching, defense, and offensively all facets of our game were rolling. They were like a well-oiled machine tonight.”

Arizona State is playing their best softball of the season after having offensive and defensive hiccups towards the end of a grueling Pac-12 season.

Now, everything seems to be coming together at the right time.

“This is the time to start getting up to our peak and I still don’t believe that we are there yet,” Gortarez said. “By the time of next weekend and Oklahoma if we make it further, we are going to be playing our best ball that we have all year.”

“I thought we played great. I’m excited to see what we have in store coming up for Super Regionals,” Ford said. “They’re really starting to figure things out. I told them, this is your bus and you’re steering it. I’m a passenger. We give you your tools and you take this where you want.”

Awaiting the Sun Devils in the Super Regionals are the ninth-seeded South Carolina Gamecocks, who won the Columbia Regional winning three elimination games, including two games against Liberty in the regional final.

The Gamecocks will provide Arizona State a challenge next weekend, but Ford is mainly focused with her team.

Next: ASU Softball: Breanna Macha pitches Devils into Tempe Regional Final

“We’ll enjoy this tonight. We obviously have film on them and they have film on us. I worry more about ourselves, our bubble and our preparation,” Ford said. “I’ll let them go play the game. I think sometimes we can over coach. We have great athletes, and at the end of the day we just have to let them play the game.”

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

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