TEMPE, Ariz. - The comeback kids for Seattle U softball struck again after bouncing back down late in a 9 inning 4-3 victory over UTEP at the ASU/GCU Invitational, but fell just shy of a 2-0 day after host Arizona State edged out the Redhawks 7-6 in 9 innings at Farrington Stadium later that afternoon.
Junior Taylor Fitch led the charge against the Miners, knocking out her fifth home run of the season. She hit .352 against UTEP, recording one hit, one run and two RBI in three at bats. Including Fitch, five other Redhawks tallied hits against the Miners.
Senior KJ Hopfer came up with a crucial RBI single facing her ninth pitch in the top of the ninth to give the Redhawks the go-ahead run late in the contest. On the defensive end, she locked up four putouts, just one shy of tying her career high.
Sophomore Mikee Morris paced the team with four assists, while her sacrifice fly and RBI in the top of the seventh kept the Redhawks alive after UTEP took the go-ahead in bottom of the sixth.
Senior Naomi Chaidez got the starting nod against the Miners. She pitched for 3.1 innings and faced 18 batters while striking out two, giving up only one earned run. Sophomore Berkley Vance pitched the remaining 5.2 innings to capture her third win of the year. She faced 22 batters and struck out three without giving up an earned run.
Sophomore Karen Spadafora and graduate Jasmine Wehn combined for 13 putouts, while sophomore Sophia Kissling matched a career best five putouts.
The Redhawks took the lead first after a defensive slugfest left both teams scoreless through the opening three frames. Senior Tai Wilson got on base after a UTEP error at the top of the fourth. Fitch stepped up and homered out of center field for 2 RBI to take the lead 2-0. Not backing down, the Miners responded in kind, scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth.
UTEP grabbed its first lead in the bottom of sixth, but the Redhawks are quite familiar with late comebacks this season. Sophomore Avari Morris hit a double to kick off the seventh inning before Kissling advanced Morris with a sac bunt. Mikee Morris drew in her twin with the sac fly to even the score 3-3 after the end of seven.
Heading to extra innings for the first time this season, the Redhawks held the Miners scoreless through the eighth and ninth behind three putouts from Kissling and a strikeout from Vance.
Facing one out, Hopfer battled UTEP, keeping her at bat alive after eight pitches. On the ninth, she hit what would draw in the winning run as her RBI single allowed Spadafora to come home to secure the 4-3 victory for the Redhawks.
A few hours later, SU returned for its meeting with Arizona State.
Senior Tai Wilson and senior Nicola Simpson led the Redhawk offense against the Sun Devils, each accounting for two hits. Wilson hit .311 capturing two hits, including a double, an RBI and one run in four at bats. Simpson picked up two hits and two RBI in four at bats, hitting .304. Avari Morris rounded out the trio of Redhawks with two hits, posting one run while hitting .455 in four at bats.
Along with Simpson, Wehn also grabbed two RBI from a hit, posting a .322 batting average on the day. The first baseman led the Redhawks with 11 putouts. Leading from the circle and pitching a new career high innings was Simpson. She faced 42 batters in 8.0 innings and struck out five while only allowing four earned runs.
Fitch paced the team with a season high five assists against ASU.
Seattle U got hot first after both teams went scoreless in the opening innings. The Redhawks put up four runs in the top of the third, kick started by a double from Avari Morris. Taking advantage of a runner in scoring position, Kissling rattled off the RBI single to get the Redhawks on board first.
Mikee Morris moved to first after being hit by a pitch. With two runners on and facing one out, Wilson bunted to load the bases. Facing two outs, Wehn did what she does best and brought in runners when the Redhawk offense needed them. Her 2 RBI single scored Morris and Kissling to make SU's lead grow to 3-0. Simpson followed immediately after with an RBI single to make it a four run game.
The Redhawk defense fired on all cylinders directly after, getting two outs with a double play before Simpson iced the inning with a backwards K.
ASU grabbed its first runs of the day in the bottom fourth to cut the lead in half while holding the Redhawks scoreless through three innings. The Sun Devils pulled within one run after the bottom of the sixth.
Eager to build back the buffer, the Redhawks went back up by two after a RBI double by Wilson allowed Mikee Morris to score, but the Sun Devils would even the score once again with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.
Simpson grabbed back the lead with an RBI double to draw in Fitch, but ASU kept pace and responded with a run to keep the score even after eight innings. Entering its ninth inning for the second time, SU's offense ran out of gas. The Sun Devils took the game and their first lead in the bottom of the ninth defeating the Redhawks by one on their home field.
Seattle U returns to the ASU/GCU Invite tomorrow, playing its remaining contests at GCU Softball Stadium. The Redhawks take on both Yale and Oregon State on Saturday.
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Junior Taylor Fitch led the charge against the Miners, knocking out her fifth home run of the season. She hit .352 against UTEP, recording one hit, one run and two RBI in three at bats. Including Fitch, five other Redhawks tallied hits against the Miners.
Senior KJ Hopfer came up with a crucial RBI single facing her ninth pitch in the top of the ninth to give the Redhawks the go-ahead run late in the contest. On the defensive end, she locked up four putouts, just one shy of tying her career high.
Sophomore Mikee Morris paced the team with four assists, while her sacrifice fly and RBI in the top of the seventh kept the Redhawks alive after UTEP took the go-ahead in bottom of the sixth.
Senior Naomi Chaidez got the starting nod against the Miners. She pitched for 3.1 innings and faced 18 batters while striking out two, giving up only one earned run. Sophomore Berkley Vance pitched the remaining 5.2 innings to capture her third win of the year. She faced 22 batters and struck out three without giving up an earned run.
Sophomore Karen Spadafora and graduate Jasmine Wehn combined for 13 putouts, while sophomore Sophia Kissling matched a career best five putouts.
The Redhawks took the lead first after a defensive slugfest left both teams scoreless through the opening three frames. Senior Tai Wilson got on base after a UTEP error at the top of the fourth. Fitch stepped up and homered out of center field for 2 RBI to take the lead 2-0. Not backing down, the Miners responded in kind, scoring two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth.
UTEP grabbed its first lead in the bottom of sixth, but the Redhawks are quite familiar with late comebacks this season. Sophomore Avari Morris hit a double to kick off the seventh inning before Kissling advanced Morris with a sac bunt. Mikee Morris drew in her twin with the sac fly to even the score 3-3 after the end of seven.
Heading to extra innings for the first time this season, the Redhawks held the Miners scoreless through the eighth and ninth behind three putouts from Kissling and a strikeout from Vance.
Facing one out, Hopfer battled UTEP, keeping her at bat alive after eight pitches. On the ninth, she hit what would draw in the winning run as her RBI single allowed Spadafora to come home to secure the 4-3 victory for the Redhawks.
A few hours later, SU returned for its meeting with Arizona State.
Senior Tai Wilson and senior Nicola Simpson led the Redhawk offense against the Sun Devils, each accounting for two hits. Wilson hit .311 capturing two hits, including a double, an RBI and one run in four at bats. Simpson picked up two hits and two RBI in four at bats, hitting .304. Avari Morris rounded out the trio of Redhawks with two hits, posting one run while hitting .455 in four at bats.
Along with Simpson, Wehn also grabbed two RBI from a hit, posting a .322 batting average on the day. The first baseman led the Redhawks with 11 putouts. Leading from the circle and pitching a new career high innings was Simpson. She faced 42 batters in 8.0 innings and struck out five while only allowing four earned runs.
Fitch paced the team with a season high five assists against ASU.
Seattle U got hot first after both teams went scoreless in the opening innings. The Redhawks put up four runs in the top of the third, kick started by a double from Avari Morris. Taking advantage of a runner in scoring position, Kissling rattled off the RBI single to get the Redhawks on board first.
Mikee Morris moved to first after being hit by a pitch. With two runners on and facing one out, Wilson bunted to load the bases. Facing two outs, Wehn did what she does best and brought in runners when the Redhawk offense needed them. Her 2 RBI single scored Morris and Kissling to make SU's lead grow to 3-0. Simpson followed immediately after with an RBI single to make it a four run game.
The Redhawk defense fired on all cylinders directly after, getting two outs with a double play before Simpson iced the inning with a backwards K.
ASU grabbed its first runs of the day in the bottom fourth to cut the lead in half while holding the Redhawks scoreless through three innings. The Sun Devils pulled within one run after the bottom of the sixth.
Eager to build back the buffer, the Redhawks went back up by two after a RBI double by Wilson allowed Mikee Morris to score, but the Sun Devils would even the score once again with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to force extra innings.
Simpson grabbed back the lead with an RBI double to draw in Fitch, but ASU kept pace and responded with a run to keep the score even after eight innings. Entering its ninth inning for the second time, SU's offense ran out of gas. The Sun Devils took the game and their first lead in the bottom of the ninth defeating the Redhawks by one on their home field.
Seattle U returns to the ASU/GCU Invite tomorrow, playing its remaining contests at GCU Softball Stadium. The Redhawks take on both Yale and Oregon State on Saturday.
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a gift to Seattle University Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly impacts all Redhawk student athletes as they strive for excellence in the classroom, in competition, and in the community. Thank you for supporting Seattle University Athletics!
Follow Along With the Action
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.