TEMPE, Arizona –  The Bobcats started their six-game road tournament with a 12-2 win against Arizona State. Hot bats from the Bobcats in the 1st and 7^th inning silenced the Sun Devils as the 'Cats scored 12 runs off 17 hits in a full team effort as 12 runs came from eight different Bobcats.

Eight of the nine starters for the Bobcats and pinch hitter Emilee Baker all recorded at least one hit in the Bobcats 12-2 win. Seven of the nine starters had multiple hits, and six of them had one or more RBI. The Bobcats were only held hitless in one inning, the 5^th. 
 
Mullins pitched 6 and 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts. 

The Bobcats will continue the ASU/GCU Classic tomorrow with games against Seton Hall and Ohio State. This will be the Bobcats first time facing Seton Hall since beating them 4-3 in the 2023 NCAA Tournament Regional in Austin. The games will be at 11:30 am (Seton Hall) and 2:15 pm (Ohio State).
 
How it Happened
The bats were hot from the get-go in this one. Ciara Trahan and Sara Vanderford got back-to-back singles to get on base. Anna Jones reached on a fielder's choice in her return to the lineup after missing the end of the TXST Tournament with an injury. From there, Karmyn Bass reached on an error by the Sun Devils third basemen while Jones and Trahan scored. Up next, Piper Randolph singled up the middle for an RBI to score Bass. The 'Cats brought in three runs to open the game.
 
Arizona State was able to load the bases on a single, error and a walk off starting pitcher Jessica Mullins. Mullins got a pop out and a strikeout to get two outs, though. With the bases loaded, Katarina Zarate made the play to catch the third out and keep the Sun Devils off the board.

The Bobcats got two hits in the second but didn't add any more runs. Arizona State also got a hit in the second, but a turned double play kept the Sun Devils off the board again. Headed to the third the 'Cats still led 3-0.
 
Texas State tacked on two more runs in the third off another RBI single up the middle from Randolph, and a JJ Smith RBI single up the middle. After a pitching change closed the inning on a Zarate strikeout and Megan Kelnar ground out, the Bobcats led 5-0.
 
Mullins gave up one hit in the third but again got out of the inning with no runs on the board after a foul out was caught by Vanderford.
 
The two teams mirrored each other in the fourth inning. Both sides of a hit off, but were unable to score any runners as the third out came from a strikeout.
 
The top of the 5^th was the 'Cats first inning without a hit. Randolph was walked to get on base, but after Smith hit a fly out and Zarate struck out, the 'Cats were kept off the board.
ASU pinch hitter Samantha Swan hit a first-pitch homer in the top of the 5^th to pull one back for the Sun Devils.
 
The 'Cats added a sixth in the top of the 6^th inning off a sac-fly from Jones that scored Emilee Baker. Baker got on base from a single when she pinch hit for Kelnar.
 
The bats came back to life for the Bobcats in the 7^th inning, though.  To start things off, Randolph was hit by the pitch. Following that out, Smith singled to left. Randolph scored on a Kelnar sac fly. Hutton, who pinch ran for Smith, scored on an error.
 
Vanderford hit her 56^th career double down the left line for an RBI. Next up, Jones singled her second hit in four at-bats for another RBI. She had two on the night. To cap off the scoring, Bass hit an RBI single to center that forced a Sun Devil error that scored Jones and Vanderford.
 
The Sun Devils were able to add a second run in the 7^th off a single and throwing error, but that was the last of their runs on the board. After seven innings, the Bobcats came out with a statement 12-2 win in Tempe.