TEMPE, Ariz. -- Coming off of three losses in four games in a stretch in which the offense struggled, the third-ranked Arizona State softball team broke out of its slump in a big way Monday with a 16-2 rout of Detroit in five innings in the final game of the Louisville Slugger Invitational.
The Sun Devils finished with a season-high 16 runs on 15 hits, scoring in all four innings in which they came to the plate. Every ASU player with an at-bat reached base at least once, and 10 ASU players logged at least one base hit.
The Sun Devils batted around in both the third and fourth innings en route to their highest run total since scoring 19 against Portland State on Feb. 23 of last season. They also posted their first three home runs of the weekend in the contest, bringing their season total to 32.
After logging a grand total of four runs in the teams three losses to South Carolina, Minnesota and Ball State, the ASU players stressed the importance of taking advantage of good pitches and putting the ball into the field of play, and they did that early and often against the Titans (2-13).
Alix Johnson opened the game with a bunt single that was followed short by a Haley Steele walk. Cheyenne Coyle, batting cleanup for the first time this season, launched the first pitch she saw to right-center field for her sixth home run of the season and an early 3-0 lead.
Detroit answered in the top of the second with a solo shot from Christa McGahuey -- the first given up by Mackenzie Popescue all season -- to cut the lead to 3-1.
ASU added another run in the bottom of the inning when Bailey Wigness scored on a Detroit throwing error at first base to put ASU up 4-1.
The Titans answered again with another run in the top of the third when Kayla Kostich brought home Sam Henderson to cut the margin back to two runs at 4-2.
Unlike the first meeting between the two teams last Thursday, that would be as close as Detroit would get, as ASU broke the game open in the third inning.
Coyle led off the inning with a walk and came home from first on a Chelsea Gonzales double down the left-field line. That brought up Bethany Kemp, who sent the first pitch she saw over the scoreboard in left field for her team-leading seventh home run of the season.
Nikki Girard and Sashel Palacios then reached on walks and advanced on a Bailey Wigness sacrifice bunt. Elizabeth Caporuscio brought the two runs home on a single to left to clear the bases and bring up Haley Steele, who logged the second home run over the left-field scoreboard of the inning and her fifth of the season, giving ASU a commanding 11-2 lead.
The Devils weren't done there, however, batting around the order for the second consecutive inning in the fourth.
Nikki Girard reached following a Raianna Dobbs groundout but was thrown out for the second out of the inning on a fielder's choice by Sashel Palacios. With two outs on the board, ASU went to work.
Bailey Wigness advanced Palacios to third on an infield single and then advanced on a Detroit throwing error. That brought up redshirt freshman Mandi Grebe, who logged her first collegiate hit on a two-RBI double to left field to bring home Wigness and Palacios.
Back-to-back singles by Caporuscio and Steele brought up Abby Spiel, who advanced the runners on her first hit of the season, a single up the middle to load the bases. ASU added two more runs in the inning, as Katee Aguirre and Dobbs were hit by pitches to bring home Caporuscio and Steele to round out the scoring.
Popescue (11-1) pitched three innings of solid softball, giving up three hits and two earned runs. Jenn Makie entered in relief and pitched the fourth and fifth, retiring all six batters she faced with one strikeout.
