Arizona State ends A&M's softball season

  • Posted: Saturday, May 28, 2011 7:00 a.m.
  • Text size: A A A

Staff and wire report


TEMPLE, Ariz. -- Arizona State's Dallas Escobedo stifled Texas A&M's offense to lead the top-seeded Sun Devils to a sweep of their NCAA Super Regional series for a spot in the Women's College World Series.


Escobedo tossed a four-hitter Friday night for a 4-2 victory before a standing-room-only crowd of 2,136 at Farrington Stadium. Escobedo (32-3) struck out nine and walked four. It wasn't as dominating as Thursday night's 15-strikeout effort, but it didn't need to be as the Sun Devil hitters gave her some wiggle room.


Kaylyn Castillo hit a booming two-run homer in the top of the first to put A&M in a hole. Leadoff hitter Katelyn Boyd reached on a single when A&M center fielder Kelsea Orsak couldn't catch the hard-hit line drive. Rogers sacrificed Boyd to second, but the 5-foot-2 Castillo ripped a shot well over the center-field fence to allow Boyd to jog home.


Castillo, who catches Escobedo, had a game-winning two-run walkoff single in Thursday's 3-2 victory.


Friday wasn't as dramatic. ASU (55-6) added a pair of insurance runs in the fifth inning to help keep it that way, even after A&M All-American Meagan May hit a two-run homer in the sixth.


The Aggies (44-15) hit three homers off Escobedo in the series to account for all their runs. But A&M managed only three hits in the other 44 at-bats against the powerful 6-foot-2 right-hander. And all three of those hits were by Brittany Walker on Friday night. A&M had batted .315 in the College Station Regional, averaging 5.3 runs per game.


"Brittany Walker was terrific tonight," A&M head coach Jo Evans said. "She set the table for us. That's what I'm asking of my kids, let's give ourselves a chance. We just could not get that timely hit early in the game."


The Aggies had their chances early Friday night against Escobedo, who threw 158 pitches Thursday night and another 122 on Friday.


A&M loaded the bases in the first inning on a double by Brittany Walker and walks to Amber Garza and May, but Escobedo escaped by striking out Melissa Dumezich, who had homered Thursday. The Aggies stranded two more runners in the third. Walker hit her second double, and Rhiannon Kliesing was hit by a pitch, but May struck out.


May bounced back in the sixth to power a shot over the center-field fence after Garza walked.


Then in the seventh, Walker singled with two outs as center fielder Lesley Rogers just missed a diving catch. That brought up Kliesing, who led the Aggies in homers this seasn with 18. Escobedo reached back for her 24th strikeout in the series, earning the program's 12th trip to the WCWS. The Sun Devils won the 2008 title by sweeping the Aggies in the best-of-3 final series.


A&M right-hander Dumezich, gutted out a pair of complete games against a team batting .342 and averaging 7.4 runs per game -- the nation's second- and third-best totals, respectively.


Only two innings marred Dumezich's great pitching.


On Thursday night, she allowed two walks and a hit batsman to load the bases to set up Castillo's game-winning single in the seventh.


On Friday, ASU and Castillo nicked Dumezich for two runs in the fifth inning after the Sun Devils had left the bases loaded in the fourth. Castillo reached on an infield single and Annie Lockwood walked. Krista Donnenwirth popped up trying to bunt, but Mandy Urfer singled sharply to left field to load the bases. Sam Parlich dribbled the ball to the left of Dumezich for an infield hit to make it 3-0 and Alix Johnson lined out for another run.


Dumezich bounced back to give A&M a chance.


"It was huge that Mel had the sixth and seventh innings that she had," Evans said. "She just went out there and really buckled down."


Dumezich (30-10) allowed eight hits, walked four and struck out four. The sophomore was one of six underclassmen for the Aggies in Friday night's starting lineup.


Kliesing and left fielder Kelsey Spittler where the only senior starters. Seniors Andrea Tovar, Missy Siegel and Kara Rau also left their cleats at home plate which has been a tradition for the program under Evans who topped 900 career victories at the CS Regional and led A&M to its seventh straight 40-win season.

Notice about comments: The Eagle is proud to offer our users enhanced commenting features. You can now build user‐to‐user connections, follow friend's recent posts, add an avatar that fits your personality, and more. If you have posted here before you'll need to sign up again and if you've never posted start now by signing up!