ASU softball closes out season

ASU, the defending national softball champion, ended its run with a fourth straight trip to the Women's College World Series, closing out the season 47-19 overall.

The 10th-seeded Sun Devils opened its series with a win over Missouri, taking control early with six runs in the first two innings and hanging on for a 7-3 win over the Tigers May 28. Starting pitcher Hillary Bach went the distance for the Sun Devils, giving up three runs on four hits.

The win put them in line to compete against Pac-10 rival Washington May 29, against which they lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in eight innings, despite Bach’s seven shutout innings.

In their third and final WCWS game, another masterful outing from Bach and a two-run home run from infielder Katie Crabb weren’t enough to keep ASU's season alive, as the Sun Devils fell in a tough 6-2 loss to No. 4 Alabama. ASU finished the 2009 season with a 47-19 final record. 

ASU won the 2008 World Series with a win over Texas A&M. It was ASU's first national softball crown.