FULLERTON, Calif. – The Arizona State softball team suffered its second loss of the year on Friday, a 5-4 defeat against No. 15 Michigan. The Sun Devils bounced back later in the day, though, as Mackenzie Popescue shut out Virginia Tech in an 11-0 rout to complete the second day of play at the Judi Garman Classic.
With the split, ASU is now 28-2 overall.
Despite outhitting Michigan 14-5, the Devils were unable to muster a comeback after the Wolverines (19-7) regained the lead with a pair of runs in the sixth inning.
Bethany Kemp homered in the loss, her fourth of the season, and Sam
Parlich went 4-for-4 to set a single-game career
high for hits. Haley Steele added three hits, tying a career best.
Dallas
Escobedo struck out double-digit hitters for the eighth time this year, finishing with 10 K's, but took the loss.
ASU turned it around against Virginia Tech (17-3), putting up five runs in the fifth and four in the seventh inning to pull away for the 11-0 win. Popescue did the rest, allowing just two hits in a dominant performance in the circle.
Popescue improved to 13-0 on the year, tying her career-best win total.
Steele added a homer against Virginia Tech, her fifth of the season and 16th of her career. She is now tied for 20th on the ASU all-time list.
As a team, the Sun Devils have homered in seven of their last eight games.
ASU’s 16 hits against Virginia Tech were the second most for the team in a game this season. The Sun Devils put up 17 hits against Boise State on Feb. 10 in a 10-0 mercy-rule win.
ASU will finish play at the Judi Garman Classic with a 10 a.m. matchup against Pacific on Saturday.
