The 24th-ranked Sun Devils have hit their toughest stretch of the season. Six straight losses to Pac-12 foes, No. 1 UCLA and No. 8 Arizona, who outscored ASU 53-5 during that six-game span. That also included the high-powered Sun Devil offense scoring in only one game after a 30-plus inning scoreless streak. The pitching also allowed under eight runs in just one of the six contests. It doesn’t get any easier for ASU to attempt to find their winning path as it heads to Seattle for a three-game set with the fourth-ranked Washington Huskies.
What Time/Where to Watch
Game 1: Friday, April 12 (5:00 p.m MST on Pac-12 Network)
Game 2: Saturday, April 13 (3:00 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Network)
Game 3: Sunday, April 14 (12:00 p.m. MST on Pac-12 Network)
Player to Watch:
Washington is only sixth in runs in the conference, with most of their wins backed by defense and pitching. ASU has already faced three of the Pac-12’s top five pitchers in terms of ERA in UCLA’s Rachel Garcia and Megan Faraimo and Arizona’s Taylor McQuillin.
This weekend, they’ll face the other two in the Huskies’ pair of aces; Taran Alvelo and Gabbie Plain. Plain currently ranks 12th in the entire nation with her 1. 16 ERA, in large part to her 18 inning scoreless straight she has coming into the series. Alvelo’s ERA is also under 2 (1.95) and she leads the conference in strikeouts with 180.
What happened last year:
The Huskies hadn’t lost a game when they visited Tempe last season. Two 2-0 wins from ASU sealed a series victory over the nation’s top team and eventually NCAA runner-up. However, Giselle “G” Juarez shut out Washington each time and Danielle Gibson drove in all four runs with a pair of two-run doubles. With neither of them still Sun Devils, ASU will need to find another way to win.
Despite ASU’s lack of runs the past six games, they still lead the conference in runs scored. If the offense led by Morgan Howe, Maddi and Kindra Hackbarth can get back to their ways against Plain and Alvelo, it’ll be a boost to ASU’s resume and more importantly their confidence.