Softball Drops Season Opener at #4 ASU

The Central Connecticut softball team dropped its season opener at #4 Arizona State on Friday night.  The Blue Devils (0-1) lost the opening game, 8-0, but will play the defending NCAA Champion Sun Devils (11-2) three more times this weekend.

Freshman Laura Messina earned the start in the circle for head coach Jeff Franquet's squad in the opener.  Messina went four innings and held the powerful Sun Devil offense to only seven earned runs in her first collegiate start.

"I thought we played well for the first game of the season," Franquet said. "Arizona State is a great team, with games under their belt, a couple of balls drop the other way and we are right in it."

The Sun Devils scored a run in the first inning off of a pair of singles.  They added three more in the second inning, this time on four hits.  Both innings were fueled by a pair of Central errors.

Messina held Arizona State off the board in the third inning, and in the top of the fourth the Blue Devils got their first base runner of the season.

Sophomore Arielle Bruno drew a full count walk to lead off the fourth and sophomore Tessa Brown walked to lead off the fifth, but the Blue Devils could not capitalize on either runner.

Arizona State's Dallas Excobedo held the Blue Devils hittless over five innings.  She allowed only two base runners in the game.

The Sun Devils used a two-out, two-strike home run to plate four runs in the bottom of the fourth.  After holding the Blue Devils scoreless in the top of the fifth, the game was called because of the eight run rule.

Messina took the loss in her first outing. She falls to 0-1.

The Blue Devils and Sun Devils will play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 8:30 p.m.  The series will conclude with an afternoon game on Sunday.