TEMPE, Ariz. – Arizona State softball preserved its undefeated record, now 17-0, with a 15-7 mercy-rule victory over North Dakota in five innings Thursday.
The Sun Devils got things going early, as freshman Nikki Girard hit her first career home
run, a grand slam, in the first inning to give ASU a 4-0 lead. In all, seven home runs were
hit between both teams, with the Devils tallying five and Haley Steele finishing with two of her own.
Steele's second long ball finished off the win and gave her 15 in her career, one shy of entering the top 20 in school history. Steele finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored and six RBI.
Amber Freeman and Alix Johnson also homered for ASU.
Dallas Escobedo went four innings and earned the win to improve to 10-0 on the season. Jenna Makis pitched the fifth and final inning.
Michelle Frank took the loss for North Dakota, dropping to 2-3.
North Dakota (2-5) will face ASU again on Friday at 7 p.m. on the opening day of the Wilson/DeMarini Invitational. The Devils will play Binghamton earlier in the day and, with wins in both games, can match the program's best-ever start to a season, a 19-0 start in 2006.
