Pac-12 Softball: Big Milestone for Two Coaches

Arizona State's 8-2 night cap win over Pittsburgh on Saturday gave head coach Clint Myers his 400th career win at Arizona State. At the Division I level, Myers is 400-91 all-time totaling over his eight years at ASU, since 2006.

The Sun Devils (25-1) first beat Pittsburgh 10-0 (5) in its early game, following with wins against UC Davis, 12-3 (5) and New Mexico State, 6-0. ASU earned its fourth tournament sweep of the season at the Diamond Devil Invitational.

On the mound, Mackenzie Popescue upped her record to 11-0 with victories over Pittsburgh and UC Davis, while Dallas Escobedo (13-1) struck out 15 against Pittsburgh and eight in New Mexico's shutout. The junior now has 74 career wins, only two away from being fifth-all time at ASU.

Next, Arizona State will be on the road for the first time this season, playing Cal State Fullerton, Texas, Michigan, Virginia Tech and Pacific in the Judi Garman Classic March 14-16.

California (20-2) is running on a 19-game win streak after sweeping Iowa State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Saint Mary's. The Golden Bears shutout Iowa State 11-0 (5), both San Diego State and Fresno State 1-0 and took down Saint Mary's 9-3.

Cheyenne Cordes nabbed two grand slams and a total of nine RBI in Cal's wins over Iowa State and Saint Mary's and Lindsey Ziegenhirt grabbed eight RBI in both. Jolene Henderson struck out a season-high 11 and scored Cal's only shot, a solo hit, in its win over Fresno State.

"We met our team goal of going undefeated at the tournament, and to be able to have pressure put on us and be successful is a good thing because we're not going to be getting those big leads once we get into conference play," Cordes said.

Next, California will compete against Baylor, Hawai'i and Syracuse in the Hawaii Spring Fling March 13-16.

Oregon (21-4) continued its 13-game win streak beating San Diego State 3-2 in the Fresno State Classic before breaking its chain when it fell 2-1 to Iowa State. Oregon closed with 4-2 win over St. Mary's.

Courtney Ceo drove in Oregon's game-winner against SDSU with a two-out, seventh-inning bunt. Ceo scored in Oregon's loss to Iowa State going 3-for-4 and over St. Mary's had one run on two hits. She finished the weekend .545 with six hits, one RBI and one stolen base. Kaylan Howard went .375 with three hits, two walks and three RBI.

Next, Oregon will play New Mexico in a doubleheader on March 13 before beginning Pac-12 play.

UCLA (22-4) went 4-for-5 over the weekend, losing to Virginia Tech in its opening game before closing out on a 10-0 (5) win over Charleston Southern. Ally Carda homered in both Virginia Tech and Long Beach State wins, totaled seven RBI and won LBSU and UNLV on the mound, striking out 16. In UCLA's victory over Charleston Southern, Jessica Hall (4-2) tossed the Bruins' 103^rd no-hitter, striking out six.

Next, UCLA will host North Dakota State for a single-game on March 12.

Oregon State (20-4) won all three at the Bayer CropScience Classic, beating Saint Mary's 7-3, Iowa State 9-1 and San Diego State 9-5. In her second win of the season, Sarah Shadinger struck out eight and allowed three runs on six hits in a complete game over Saint Mary's. The Beavers totaled seven runs on 10 hits. They had nine on 13 over Iowa State, with Desiree Beltran reaching three hits, three RBI and one run. In the circle, Marina Demore, who earned the win, didn't allow a hit besides a bunt single until the fifth when the game was already 7-0. Demore only allowed three hits and one run. And against SDSU the Beavers scored eight in the fifth and one in the sixth for a come-from-behind win with Beltran having two RBI.

Next, Oregon State will play New Mexico in a double header on March 14.

Arizona (18-5) hit a record nine long balls in its sweep of Boise State, winning 9-5, 14-4 (5) and 10-2 (5). The former record of eight was set by the 2001 Arizona team against Fresno State. Lauren Young was the team-leader with four homers between Saturday's doubleheader, while Chelsea Goodacre hit two. Hallie Wilson, Mandie Perez and Estela Pinon each hit one home run.

Next, Arizona will compete in the Judi Garman Classic March 14-16 against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Penn State, Michigan and Oklahoma.

Washington () won its Husky Softball Classic finishing the weekend a perfect 5-0 and improved its win streak to 14. All games were won in six or less innings.

"It was a big weekend for us," said head coach Heather Tarr. "We got to play at home for the first time and see what it's like in this environment to prepare us for Pac-12 play. Our home fans also got to see what this team is about. Our pitching was solid and our hitting really came through."

The Huskies exploded in their home opener beating Ohio 17-1 in five. They had 12 hits and 13 RBI and allowed Ohio only one run and three hits. Hooch Fagaly and Victoria Hayward each tallied three hits, with Hayward leading the team with four RBI and nabbing a single, double and triple. All nine hitters touched base in the opening frame in their first at-bat.

Next, Washington is set to compete in the Judi Garman Classic March 14-17, facing Michigan, DePaul, Texas, Penn State and Pacific.

Stanford (22-5) swept the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic and gave head coach John Rittman his 700th career win. The Cardinal beat Minnesota 2-1 (8) and 9-7, Florida Gulf Coast 2-1 and 8-0 (5) and Pacific 2-0. Rittman now stands 700-318-3 (.687) in his career at Stanford, with his winning percentage among the top-20 in the county among active coaches.

Teagan Gerhart won three in the circle against Minnesota, FGC and Pacific. She struck out a season-high 12 against Minnesota, allowing just one unearned run on four hits and no walks in a complete eight-inning game, followed with a six strikeout-shutout performance over FGC and six more strikeouts versus Pacific. Also big for the Cardinal was freshman Kayla Bonstrom who hit a grand slam in the second FGC win - the first homer of her career.

Next, Stanford will begin Pac-12 play at Oregon, March 23-25.

Utah (13-6-1) swept the Mayfair Classic and continued its unbeaten streak with 12 games. The Utes took down Idaho State 9-3, Cal State Fullerton 1-0, South Alabama 2-1 and Bethune Cookman 8-0 (5). Since their last loss on Feb. 16, the Utes have outscored their opponents 66-23 and have held a .299 batting average compared to their opponents' .245. In Utah's win over South Alabama, Naomi Amu won her sixth straight and second consecutive complete-game in the circle, while against Bethune Cookman, Shelby Pacheco held a team-leading five RBI of the total seven.

Next, Utah will compete in the University of Hawai'i Tournament playing Syracuse, Hawai'i and Baylor March 13-16.