Softball edges Stanford to nab Pac-10 Championship again

Box Score
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It was a night of celebration on May 12, as the No. 1 Arizona State Softball Team locked up the second Pac-10 title in program history with a 3-1 win over No. 11 Stanford. The win pushes ASU's Pac-10 win streak to 12, the longest in program history as Escobedo took the W to move 26-3 on the year. The Sun Devils are now 49-5 overall and 16-3 in Pac-10 play as Stanford drops to 37-14 and 9-10 in conference action.

Dallas Escobedo came out a smidge shaky in the first inning as she loaded the bases up with one out, but turned around to collect back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam right before Katelyn Boyd rocked the boat first with a solo shot to left field for her fifth lead-off home run of the season to tie her for first in the nation.

With a 1-0 lead, Escobedo again got out of a nasty bases-loaded jam with some help from her friends in the field. Stanford wasn't to be stifled though as Ashley Hansen matched Boyd's solo shot off the first pitch in the fifth inning to knot it at one apiece.

The Sun Devils rose to the challenge in the bottom of the inning as a lead-off walk followed up with a single from Lesley Rogers set the table for a textbook bunt from Kaylyn Castillo followed up with a single to right center from Krista Donnenwirth to bring home two to make it 3-1.

There it would stay as Dallas Escobedo took care of business the next two innings as the Sun Devils locked it down to clinch the program's second Pac-10 title and extend their Pac-10 winning streak to 12, the longest Pac-10 win streak in ASU history.

The Sun Devils will return to action to today as they face Stanford again at 7 p.m. in Tempe at Farrington Stadium.