No. 1 Softball earns Women's College World Series bid
No. 1 Arizona State (55-6) is once again Oklahoma City bound as the top-ranked Sun Devils defeated the 16th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (44-17) 4-2 in the NCAA Super Regional from Tempe, Ariz., May 27 .
Not content to rest on her performance from the night before, senior Kaylyn Castillo once again showed off her penchant for offensive flair, belting a two-run home run over the centerfield wall in the top of the first inning to put the Sun Devils on the board. The home run for Castillo was her ninth on the season and second in NCAA play.
Freshman pitcher Dallas Escobedo, showcasing her shutdown-pitching prowess, which rivals many of the other championship strikeout pitchers before her, held the Aggies scoreless for six innings. Escobedo sealed the victory for the Sun Devils striking out the Texas A&M batter looking for the final out of the game. The freshman improved to 32-3 on the season while tallying 9 strikeouts on the day.
The ASU offense took over once again in the fifth inning as the Sun Devils loaded the bases. With one out on the board, sophomore Sam Parlich hit a shallow shot near the pitcher's mound to send in run number three for Arizona State. Freshman Alix Johnson also scored an RBI off a sac fly to bring in the fourth score of the game.
In the sixth inning, Texas A&M joined the Sun Devils on the scoreboard with a two-run homer by Aggie sophomore Meagan May.
Head coach Clint Myers has led the Sun Devils to five Women's College World Series appearances in his six years at the helm of the program. The Sun Devils won the national title in 2008.
Arizona's WCWS fate this season hinges on the outcome of its Super Regional series with Oklahoma with games Friday and Saturday. Myers, cultivating the Sun Devil program to be synonymous with success in collegiate softball, took over as head coach for Arizona State in 2006.
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Farrington Stadium was once again housed a sell out crowd of 2,136 on hand to watch the top-ranked Sun Devils advance to OKC. With one out away from taking the win, the crowd took to its feet to cheer the Sun Devils to victory.