(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
In the second game of Arizona State Softball’s doubleheader Friday, the Sun Devils did not disappoint, pulling out the 6-1 victory against Colorado State.
The pitching matchup featured ASU’s Dale Ryndak, who was 4-0 on the season and had retired the final batter in the Sun Devils’ game earlier in the evening. For the Rams, Holly Reinke took the ball, looking for her second win of the season.
Just like the Boise State game, the Sun Devils got on the board in the bottom of the first. Haley Steele reached base with two outs on an error by third baseman Savannah Clark. Amber Freeman then doubled down the right field line bringing Steele home from first, 1-0 ASU.
Reinke then walked the next two batters, but was able to escape a bases-loaded jam with two outs.
Both pitchers rolled through the second and third inning until ASU strung together a solid fourth inning offensively. Nikki Girard singled up the middle, which would lead to an RBI double by Sierra Rodriguez to give the Devils a 2-0 lead. With two runners on, the very next batter, Elizabeth Caporuscio, would hit a long homerun over the right field wall, improving the score to 5-0.
Ryndak went 2 and 1/3 innings before surrendering her first hit of the evening. She continued her scoreless outing until the fifth inning. The Rams got on the scoreboard when Taylor Hutton scored Madison Kilcrease from second on a single to left field.
“It showed growth from Dale (Ryndak) when Colorado State strung some hits together and she made a big pitch to get out of that jam,” Coach Craig Nicholson said.
The Sun Devils got to Reinke again in the bottom of the fifth with two-out hitting from Chelsea Gonzalez and Girard. Gonzalez doubled, and Girard backed that up with an RBI single.
“We were able to find ways to get on base and we managed to bring those runners in,” Nicholson said.
In a complete-game effort, Holly Reinke gave up nine hits and six runs, but only one earned. The two errors by the Rams were detrimental.
The freshman Ryndak was nearly perfect for six innings with only two hits given up outside of the fifth inning. She struck out seven batters on the night and gave up a total of five hits.
The Sun Devils are going to have to keep up the dominant pitching Saturday, as they will face their toughest opponent of the Diamond Devil Invitation: No. 15-ranked Minnesota.
