Arizona State stood just one win away from winning the Tempe regional and advancing to the next round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament. All that stood in their way were the No. 25 Syracuse Orange, who the Sun Devils had beaten 3-1 on Saturday.

It also featured a rematch of yesterday's starters, ASU's Dallas Escobedo and Jenna Caira from Syracuse. Unlike Saturday, however, the Orange took the upper hand.

Syracuse plated a first inning run off a home run by Stephanie Watts, before the game settled into a fierce pitcher's duel.

Escobedo, House of Sparky's Star of the Week, was again brilliant. After the homer, she allowed just one other hit and struck out eight. However, her teammates weren't able to pick her up, as Caira's pitching confounded ASU bats all afternoon long.

She was able to scatter four Sun Devil hits across seven innings in a terrific performance to secure her 26th win of the season. ASU shortstop Katelyn Boyd managed two hits, but grounded out in the seventh while trying to start a rally.

With the win, the Tempe regional will come down to a deciding seventh game that will take place this afternoon at 6:00pm.

Click here to see the full (and printable) 2012 softball tournament bracket.

Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 and Like House of Sparky on Facebook

Home runs are fun, sure. Mammoth blasts put fans in the seats. But when the action on the diamond turns to the postseason, it's pitching that wins championships.

That's why it's no surprise that the Arizona State Sun Devils currently wear the crown, as they have not one, but two aces to mow down the opposition. With ASU opening up the 2012 NCAA Softball Tournament this weekend by hosting a regional, those aces showed exactly why they are among the most feared in the nation, but one had such a great performance she earned the House of Sparky Sun Devil Sunday Star of the Week.

After Hillary Bach shutdown the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds, the Sun Devils advanced to face a much more dangerous opponent, the 25th ranked Syracuse Orange.

With the Orange pitchers holding the Devils' bats at bay for the first three innings, the pressure fell to sophomore sensation Dallas Escobedo, and she delivered. She surrendered a run in the first and that was it for Syracuse, as they managed just two hits off of Escobedo while she struck out 11 en route to earning her 21st win of the season.

The Sun Devils will face off with Syracuse once again on Sunday with a chance to close out the region and advance to the next round of the tournament.

Other contenders: Abe Ruiz (baseball), Michelle Brycki (tennis)

Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 and Like House of Sparky on Facebook

After dispatching the Orange in a tightly contested 3-1 battle on Saturday, the defending national champions will once again face Syracuse on Sunday with a chance to close out this double-elimination regional of the 2012 NCAA Softball Tournament.

The No. 25 Orange look for revenge, but stand just one loss away from elimination, while the Sun Devils are just another win away from advancing to face the winner of the regional being hosted by No. 14 seed Louisiana-Lafayette.

With ASU head coach Clint Myers a sterling 22-1 during postseason play at home, the odds are definitely in the Sun Devils' favor. Should Syracuse pull the upset at 3:00pm, the deciding game of the regional will begin at 6:00pm.

To watch Sunday's game live online, click here.

To listen live to Sunday's action, click here.

For live stat tracking, click here.

Click here to see the full (and printable) 2012 softball tournament bracket.

Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 and Like House of Sparky on Facebook

The Arizona State Sun Devil baseball team will debut some new white jerseys tonight during their game against Washington. Made by Wilson DeMarini, these jerseys sport a clean white look, maroon shoulders and a faded pitchfork under the back numbers. They have a little "MLB Turn Ahead The Clock Night" feel to the, wouldn't you say?

Love 'em? Hate 'em? Let us know in the comments.

A day after trouncing LIU Brooklyn to open 2012 NCAA Softball Tournament play, the defending national champion Sun Devil squad faced a tight battle from Syracuse, but another strong pitching performance helped seal the win for ASU.

Following Hillary Bach's shutout of the Blackbirds yesterday, Dallas Escobedo was brilliant, striking out 11 Orange batters and holding them to just one run on two hits, en route to her 21st win of the year.

The Sun Devil offense struggled for three innings before plating three in the fourth inning off Jenna Caira, thanks to RBI singles from Sam Parlich and Christina Zambrana.

ASU will face the winner of LIU Brooklyn and Long Beach State, who are playing later Saturday, at 3:00pm Sunday in this double-elimination regional. Should the Sun Devils fall in that game, the final game will take place at 7:00pm.

To listen live to Sunday's action, click here.

Click here to see the full (and printable) 2012 softball tournament bracket.

Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 and Like House of Sparky on Facebook

There's no two ways about it: ASU football has struggled over the last few years, while the USC Trojans continue to be...well, USC. With an 11-game winning streak over the Sun Devils, the "rivalry" between ASU and USC was exceedingly one-sided.

That all changed this past season on a magical September evening, when the 23rd ranked Trojans came to Tempe for a key South division battle. Let's relive this historic night, thanks to the video talents of JediASU and his amazing YouTube channel.

First, Cameron Marshall made a major statement with this scintillating 70-yard touchdown run on the game's fourth play.

After a USC field goal, Brock Osweiler extended the ASU lead with this strike to Gerell Robinson.

USC tried to answer back, but Vontaze Burfict had different ideas.

The Devils then drove down and capped a great half with this:

USC then stormed back in the second half to take a 22-21 lead.

That was short lived, thanks to these scoring runs by Marshall. The first took the lead...

...and then his third score gave the Devils a nice cushion.

With their 11-game winning streak slipping away, Matt Barkley mounted a final Trojan drive for victory. It ended quickly.

The streak was over. After the signature win of his ASU tenure, head coach Dennis Erickson got this:

Be sure to subscribe to JediASU's YouTube channel for more amazing ASU highlights, and follow House of Sparky on Twitter.

Another highly active week in the world of Arizona State Sun Devil sports, and as usual, House of Sparky was all over it. For those who had a busy week or were away from the site for a while (shame on you), here's a complete Sun Devil wrap up.

Speak of the Devils show kicks off the "Legends Series": The leading podcast for ASU football begins a comprehensive look back at the history of ASU football with two outstanding interviews with two iconic Sun Devils: J.D. Hill and College Hall of Famer Ron Pritchard.

Helping Pitt Fans Deal With Their Todd Graham Angst, To Make Peace And Move On: Pitt fans are still ticked off about Todd Graham. We at House of Sparky try to help them through the five stages of grief.

Jamal Miles Named To Phil Steele's Preseason All-American 3rd Team, 4 Others On Pac-12 Team: Phil Steele's prestigious preseason All-American and All-Pac-12 teams are out, and if you like seeing Jamal Miles' name a lot, you're in luck.

A Look At Brock Osweiler's First NFL Trading Cards: The new Broncos quarterback makes his NFL debut, courtesy of Topps.

Midweek Memory: Derrick Rodgers Crushes Scott Frost In 1996: ASU vs. Nebraska. Everyone knows that game. Take a look at one of the best photos from that game.

Tommie Frazier? Yes. But Here's A Sun Devil Hall Of Fame Snub To Consider: The 2012 College Football Hall of Fame class was announced, but more people cared about who was not on the list. Here's a case for one under-the-radar Sun Devil candidate.

Las Vegas Invitational: ASU Officially Earns Spot In Vegas Event: ASU basketball will be heading to Vegas in November.

ASU Football: Examining The Possible Impact Of The Tight Ends & H-Backs: After being forgotten over the last few years, ASU's tight ends and H-backs could do some damage in 2012.

ASU Athletics: Revenue & Expense Figures For 2006-2011: USA Today opened the books for 227 college athletic departments. See how ASU made out.

ASU Football: In Time Of Change, Return Game Hopes To Stay The Same: While Todd Graham is making a lot of changes, the return game is just fine as is.

Former Sun Devils Eddie Elder, LeQuan Lewis Parlay Tryouts Into NFL Deals: Two undrafted Sun Devils had good enough tryouts to land an NFL contract.

A Look At The New NFL Jerseys For ASU's Newest Pros: This image is awesome. Take a look.

Like House of Sparky on Facebook and follow on Twitter

With the No. 3 seed in hand and a spot hosting a regional, the defending national champion Arizona State softball team began NCAA Tournament play on Friday night.

Their first round by facing LIU Brooklyn, who entered the tournament with just a 25-33 record. As one may imagine for a sub .500 team facing a team the caliber of the Sun Devils, ASU made quick work of the Blackbirds, downing them 9-0 in just five innings.

As she had been all year, pitcher Hillary Bach was nearly unhittable, earning her 20th win of the year with a two-hit shutout. The Sun Devil offense was led by home runs by Amber Freeman and Haley Steele, who combined for five RBI, and Elizabeth Caporuscio, who knocked in another three.

The win advances ASU to a match-up against Syracuse, who enter the game at an impressive 41-14. First pitch will be at 1:00pm at Farrington Stadium.

For those unable to make it out to watch live, you can stream live video here, listen via radio here, and track live stats here.

Click here to see the full (and printable) 2012 softball tournament bracket.

Follow me on Twitter @BDenny29 and Like House of Sparky on Facebook