Arizona softball’s bid to sweep ASU on the road came up short as their bats went cold on Sunday.
UA (29-5, 6-3) lost 3-2 to the Sun Devils (23-10, 5-4) in the final match up of the three-game series after leaving 10 runners on base and going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. The Wildcats outscored their in-state rivals 11-2 in the first two games of the series.
“I think it’s really hard to get sweeps these days, it’s really hard to play three solid games against good opponents,” said UA head coach Caitlin Lowe after they swept Utah last week.
The loss snapped UA’s eight-game winning streak but it is their first Big 12 road series triumph.
ASU senior pitcher Kenzie Brown (12-2) went 6 innings, striking out 8. On Friday, she took the loss after giving up 4 runs but only one of those were earned.
“Sunday’s are hard,” Lowe recently said. “Sunday’s are gut check time where everyone’s tired and everyone knows everything about the whole team and you gotta figure out how to beat your scouting report.”
In the initial inning Sunday, Arizona’s first three batters got on base but they came up empty after three straight strike outs. Then, in the second inning, UA stranded two more runners.
In the home half of the second, ASU got a couple runners on base but they were also stranded.
In the third inning, UA left another runner on base and then ASU freshman outfielder Ashleigh Mejia hit a 2-run home run to give the Sun Devils their first lead of the series. Then ASU went ahead 3-0 after an RBI double by freshman infielder Tiare Ho-Ching.
Junior infielder Tayler Biehl got Arizona on the board with an RBI single in the sixth.
Arizona’s Tayler Biehl (2), center, gets congratulated after leading off the Wildcat half of the second with a solo homer against UCF in Tucson on March 8, 2025.
UA senior pitcher/infielder Devyn Netz cut ASU’s lead to 3-2 in the seventh, getting an RBI on a fielder’s choice.
Sophomore Meika Lauppe picked up the save for ASU, her third of the year.
Graduate student pitcher Saya Swain got the start, her third of the season but second in as many weekends. She has 15 appearances and took the loss, dropping to 3-2.
She lasted 2⅓ innings, striking out 4 but giving up 3 hits and was replaced after giving up the home run.
Graduate student Miranda Stoddard relieved her but was replaced by freshman Ryan Maddox after facing two batters but not recording an out and giving up an earned run on a pair of hits. Maddox went 3⅔ innings and gave up 2 hits and a walk but no runs while striking out 1.
On Saturday, the Wildcats knocked off the Sun Devils 5-1 to win a Big 12 road series for the first time.
UA junior outfielder Dakota Kennedy recorded 3 hits and Netz drove in 3 runs and got a complete game win.
Arizona’s Dakota Kennedy (4) runs to first base against Alabama in the Candrea Classic on Feb. 8, 2025.
Netz put Arizona ahead 1-0 in the first when she drove in a run.
Then in the third, junior utility Kaiah Altmeyer got a 2-RBI single.
Netz added a couple more insurance runs with a round tripper in the sixth. Mejia ended the shut out in the seventh with a solo homer but Netz struck out the final ASU batter to seal the win.
She struck out 5, while allowing 5 hits and no walks and improved her record to 12-3.
On Friday, Arizona opened the series with a 6-1 win.
UA took the lead in the third with a 3-run home run from junior utility Sydney Stewart. Then in the fourth, Biehl got an RBI on a sacrifice fly.
A couple innings later, Altmeyer knocked in a couple runs of runs on a single. In the home half of the inning, the Sun Devils got on the board with an RBI by senior utility A.J. Murphy.
Stoddard (7-0) got the win after pitching 5⅔ innings, allowing 1 earned run on 5 hits and no walks. Netz pitched the last 1⅓ innings, striking out 1, while walking none or giving up a hit.
Up next for the Wildcats is a series at BYU (19-6, 4-2) starting on Thursday. The blue Cougars are coming off a sweep of Houston on the road.
Extra bases
– Though unranked, the Sun Devils received votes in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate and the NFCA Coaches Poll.
– Arizona improved to 44-31 in road games at ASU and 74-49-1 in conference games against the Sun Devils. UA had won six in a row and eight of their last nine against ASU.
The Wildcats lead the overall series against their rivals 104-54-1.
– UA is 5-1 in road games, 4-0 in neutral site tilts and 20-4 at home.
