After a 21-run explosion Saturday night, ASU softball continued to dominate at the plate driving in eight runs on 12 hits.
Although she’s new to wearing maroon and gold, Samantha Mejia sure isn’t showing it at the mound.
After completing her first two games without giving up a run, Mejia continued her blazing start leading No. 12 Arizona State to a 8-2 victory over CSUN in the final day of the Kajikawa Classic.
With the victory the Sun Devils finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, while the Matadors fell to 1-4.
Mejia capped the tournament with her first complete game as a Sun Devil. The sophomore transfer surrendered only two hits, two runs and struck out four in her third start of the year for ASU.
“It’s a great feeling,” said Mejia. “Having this jersey on is just such a big accomplishment for me. Just being able to be here, I’m so grateful for it.”
Although she raised her earned run average to 0.93, it sat at zero coming in. With the win, Mejia moved to 3-0 this season and has shown immediate impacts for the ASU rotation.
And not only did Mejia dazzle on the mound, the ASU offense continued to stay potent.
Led by senior Skylar McCarty, ASU plated eight runs, including five in the bottom of the sixth, which eventually broke the game open for the Sun Devils.
McCarty, who finished 3-for-3, started the inning off with a two-run shot to center field on the first pitch of her second at-bat. The left fielder, has been a weapon for the Sun Devils after the offense sputtered in a 8-0 loss to Missouri.
“The past is the past,” said McCarty. “We can’t fix the past, so we learn from it. We all let go of it and it shows.”
Over the past three games McCarty has raised her batting average to .538 and now leads the team with 11 runs batted in.
The Sun Devils currently have four batters who are averaging over a .400 batting average and mustered 51 runs over their first five games of the season. To compare, ASU has only allowed 15 earned runs this season.
And it’s finding those hot bats that will be key down the line for ASU.
“We’re a work in progress, said coach Trisha Ford. “The thing that excites me is that we are going to get better as the season goes on. I think for us, it’s finding that pulse.”
After splitting day one of the Kajikawa Classic, the Sun Devils now rides a three-game win streak into next week’s Littlewood Classic. ASU faces Illinois State Thursday at 6:30 p.m. MT.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.