(Photo: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
The Sun Devils secured their position in the Women’s College World series Sunday with a 5-2 win over the Kentucky Wildcats at Farrington Stadium.
The first innings showcased, once again, the offensive power at the top of the Devils’ lineup. Alix Johnson singled and successfully stole second base to put her in scoring position.
Cheyenne Coyle immediately followed with an RBI single, after she just hooked a couple pitches foul, which would’ve resulted in a two-run homerun.
Haley Steele had a phenomenal game as well, and also hit the only ASU homerun of the contest.
Dallas Escobedo adjusted from a so-so outing the night before, and only allowed one home run. In fact, Kentucky freshman Christian Stokes, who hit two home runs Saturday night, never even made it on base.
Sunday’s game showed the strength Escobedo has in working the corners and offsetting her killer rise ball with perfectly timed change ups.
Overcoming a lineup that came into the Super Regionals with such a strong read on her pitches is just another testament on how talented and seasoned she really is.
“I’ve said it all along; I’d go to war with her against anybody, anytime. When she’s in the circle you’ve got a pretty good chance at winning” head coach Clint Myers said.
The No. 5 Sun Devils will be taking on the No. 4 Texas Longhorns on Thursday at 4 pm in Oklahoma City. This will be Arizona State’s 11th appearance at the WCWS, and Myers seems as ready as ever to take on the challenge in OKC once more, especially with the team’s arsenal of pitching.
“We have our game plan, and you know we try to make sure it kind of counters everybody else’s game plan,” Myers said. “But we will stay with Dallas’s strength, the rise ball is a big pitch, the change up was more effective … again trying to change the rhythm, change their line of sight, and move the ball in the four quadrants … I see no reason why it shouldn’t continue.”
