ASU softball defeated Central Michigan Saturday in the Littlewood Classic behind a complete game from Samantha Mejia and four RBIs from DeNae Chatman.
No. 16 Arizona State bounced back from Friday’s loss versus No. 4 Florida with an 8-2 win over Central Michigan Saturday afternoon.
It looked bleak early for the Sun Devils as Central Michigan capitalized off a hit by pitch and a walk to take a 2-0 lead in the first inning.
Mejia then settled in and allowed no runs and just four hits in the final six innings of work in route to her second complete game as a Sun Devil.
The Fresno State transfer tallied a season-high seven strikeouts in the win as she improves to 5-0 on the season.
“She (Mejia) did a great job. I thought she bounced back after the first inning. She (Mejia) does a great job hitting spots. She’s (Mejia) crafty and changes speed when she (Mejia) needs to,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “For me to call her games, she’s (Mejia) able to move balls a little bit more. She’s (Mejia) not a pitcher that’s going to blow it by you, but she’s going to make you think about each pitch.”
Arizona State responded to the 2-0 first inning deficit by scoring two runs in each of the first four innings.
First baseman DeNae Chatman had a monster day at the plate hitting two home runs, a two-run shot in the first and a solo shot in the fourth, to finish the day with four RBIs.
“Last weekend, she did a great job with having plate discipline, but then was a little passive. This week her (Chatman) and coach (Jeff) Harger had conversations of what that looks like,” Ford said. “I thought she (Chatman) responded well. She’s (Chatman) just a sophomore and she’s (Chatman) just got so much more to grow and I would hate to pitch to her.”
Arizona State received production up and down the lineup Saturday as seven players recorded a hit.
Chatman, shortstop Jade Gortarez and third baseman Taylor Becerra finished with two hits each. Second baseman Bella Loomis also finished with two RBIs.
Ford talked how ASU’s smart baserunning opened the door for additional runs to come across the plate.
“By Jade (Gortarez) taking that extra bag, that backside runner can also take a bag so a base hit now scores two instead of just one,” Ford said. “That’s the fun part of the game. I thought they did a great job. Those are the things that are going to win ballgames for us.”
The Sun Devils will play their final games of the Littlewood Classic Sunday with a doubleheader against Utah State and San Diego beginning at 1:30 p.m. MT.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.