No. 5 Washington Sweeps No. 13 Arizona State
May 8, 1999
TEMPE, Ariz. -The fifth-ranked Washington softball team swept the No. 13 Sun Devils of Arizona State Friday evening, winning 7-1 and 1-0 to improve to 43-14 overall and 14-9 in the Pac-10 Conference. UW will face No. 3 Arizona tomorrow evening in Tucson.
Junior Jamie Graves improved to 24-7 back in her home state, winning the first game on live regional television. The Phoenix native struck out two and allowed seven hits but no runs. UW pounded 13 hits in the game, including two home runs and a triple, giving them double digits in hits for the fourth time in the last six outings.
The game was scoreless through four innings despite four hits by both teams. The Huskies put together a two-out rally in the fifth, scoring three runs off three hits. Sophomore Kelly Hauxhurst singled and was sacrificed to second by classmate Kim DePaul. Senior Becky Newbry was intentionally walked before junior Jennifer Spediacci blasted a triple to right center to score Hauxhurst and Newbry. A single by junior Melissa Downs allowed Spediacci to score.
Two home runs highlighted a six-hit sixth frame to give Washington four more runs. Junior Erin Helgeland knocked the first pitch of the sixth inning over the left field fence for her second home run of the season. Singles by junior Rosie Leutzinger and Hauxhurst set up a three-run homer by DePaul, her seventh of the year. She was 3-for-3 in the game.
Arizona scored in the bottom of the seventh off two singles.
Junior Jennifer Spediacci won the battle of the top two strikeout artists in the league in the second game. ASU's Kirsten Voak leads the Pac-10 with 251, followed by Spediacci's 198. UW's ace pitched a two-hitter and struck out nine in a complete-game win to improve to 18-7.
Washington did not get on the scoreboard until the seventh frame, when Newbry doubled, stole third, and came home on a Downs' single.
Game One Washington 000 034 0 7 13 2 Arizona State 000 000 1 1 9 0Jamie Graves, Shannon Walsh (7), Graves (7) and Jeanine Giordano; Erica Beach and Andrea Rodgers. WP-Graves (24-7). LP-Beach (16-10). LOB-UW 9, ASU 8. 3B-UW: Spediacci; HR-UW: Helgeland, DePaul.
Game Two Washington 000 000 1 1 5 1 Arizona State 000 000 0 0 2 0
Jennifer Spediacci and Jeanine Giordano; Kirsten Voak, Erica Beach (7) and Bonnie Brannen, Andrea Rodgers (7). WP-Spediacci (18-7). LP-Voak (20-11. LOB-UW 4, ASU 3. 2B-UW: Newbry; ASU: Gill.
