Behind a strong pitching performance, Oregon State upset 17th-ranked ASU softball 5-1 in the opener of conference play.
After a quiet six innings, Arizona State softball seemed to finally get things going in the bottom of the seventh.
But at that point Mariah Mazon and Oregon State had all but quenched the fire of the hometown Sun Devils.
In the Pac-12 opener, the Beavers (17-5) defeated the No. 17 Sun Devils (20-8) 5-1, extending the team’s winning streak to five games.
Oregon State limited a potent ASU offense to only two hits through six innings, and five in total.
The credit going to sophomore Mariah Mazon (9-3), who threw her eighth complete game of the season, giving up only five hits and striking out five.
And even more impressive for Mazon, was the fact that all of that was done in only 72 pitches.
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On other side for ASU, freshman pitcher Abby Andersen (7-4) also went the distance for her team throwing 113 pitches.
Coming into the game, Andersen had only surrendered three earned runs in her last five starts (25.2 innings).
But against the Beavers, it was a whole different case.
After two quick outs, OSU plated three runs in the top of the first, taking advantage of some defensive miscues from the Sun Devils.
And while Andersen struggled early, it was evident after the first couple innings she finally had found her groove.
“We were all a little disappointed in those first couple innings,” head coach Trisha Ford said. “But she battled and overall she had a stellar outing. She knows what she’s capable of doing.”
Andersen finished the day, giving up six hits, five runs (three earned) and walking four batters.
While OSU did its part at the plate, driving in five runs against the Sun Devils, it also had some help from the ASU defense.
The Sun Devils committed three errors, with two coming in the first inning of the contest. Those two equated to the Beavers plating three early runs that ASU wasn’t able to overcome.
“Our defense needs to clean up,” senior Skylar McCarty said. “We need to come out and stick to our game plan. We’re going to be okay.”
And while the loss may sting, the Sun Devils will suit up to face off with the Beavers two more times this weekend.
For the group, moving past the early mistakes will be a key to finishing the weekend.
“There was some freshmen nervousness,” Ford said. “We just have to find our rhythm in Pac-12 and tonight we just didn’t have that. I’m very confident we’ll get there.”
The Sun Devils again face off with the Beavers in game two of the three-game homestand, Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.