TEMPE, Ariz. -- Senior pitcher Hillary Bach threw the fourth perfect game in Arizona State softball history Saturday night in a 9-0 win over Wichita State at the Wilson/Demarini Invitational. In their second game of the day, the Sun Devils routed Howard 15-3 in six innings.
With a sweep on the second day of the event, ASU improved to 19-2 on the year.
Game 1: Arizona State 9, Wichita State 0 (5 innings)
Bach pitched five innings and did not allow a base runner, fanning five in the contest to shut out the Shockers (6-8). It marked Bach’s first career perfect game and ASU’s first since the Katie Burkhart era.
The Devils came sprinting out of the dugout, putting up five runs on three hits in the first frame. Base hits from Elizabeth Caporuscio and Amber Freeman scored three before two sacrifice outs drove in two more runs.
ASU's bats stayed hot throughout, with a Sam Parlich single driving in Caporuscio in the bottom of the third. Caporuscio and Freeman then smacked back-to-back homers in the fourth to drive in three runs and extend the lead to 8-0.
Bach’s record improved to 8-0 as her ERA dropped to 0.44. Wichita State pitcher Katie Armagost was credited with the loss, falling to 2-3.
Game 2: Arizona State 15, Howard 3 (6 innings)
The back-and-forth battle began with a leadoff home run from Jennie Ly to give Howard an early lead, but Arizona State tied it up in the top of the third when Annie Lockwood came all the way around from first base on a Caporuscio double.
The Bison gained the upper hand with an RBI single from Rebecca Kirshner in the third. Half an inning later, Talor Haro stole two bases before coming in on a base hit from Lucy Aubrecht to tie it at 2-2. ASU then went ahead when Katelyn Boyd found a hole through the right side to plate pinch-runner Kayla Ketchum.
The lead did not last for long though, with Howard's Trina Kindred coming across in the following half-inning to tie the score at 3-3. A pitching change ensued for the Devils, who brought in Dallas Escobedo to replace Mackenzie Popescue. Popescue finished with six strikeouts, a personal season high.
ASU took control from there, as Parlich drove in Caporuscio to put the Devils up by one before a sacrifice groundout and a wild pitch widened the gap to 6-3. ASU eventually plated nine runs on seven hits in the sixth, including a two-run homer from Aubrecht.
