June 2, 2007

Box Score |  Quotes |  Notes

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - A slow offensive showing and a DePaul home run saw the end of the 2007 Sun Devil Softball season as ASU was unable rally, falling in the elimination Game Seven, 3-1 against the DePaul Blue Demons. The loss wraps ASU's season at 54-17 on the season and their sixth trip to the NCAA Women's College World Series.

The Blue Demons took the lead in the fifth as Jessica Evans was hit by a pitch to take first before Sandy Vojik launched her 13^th home run of the season and third of the postseason on a 3-0 pitch to plate two and take the 2-0 lead.

The Blue Devils tacked on an insurance run in the seventh as well after an errant throw trying to catch Shea Warren stealing put Warren on third as Sandy Vojik hit an RBI-single to plate Warren and give DePaul the 3-0 lead.

ASU tried to put together a rally in the seventh with a lead-off double from Michelle Smith that came around to score on a single to right field from Rhiannon Baca cutting the lead to 3-1. The rally fell short there though as Depaul wrapped the game with a couple ground outs.

The sole consolation on the game was that it proved to be another record setter for Katie Burkhart as she claimed her 509^th strikeout in the first at-bat of the game, which sets a new Pac-10 single-season strikeout record, topping Arizona's Alicia Hollowell's 508 from the 2004 season. She finished the season with 517 strikeouts, good for eighth all-time in NCAA history. Her career total of 1,154 is also good for 17^th in NCAA history with another year of eligibility left.

The Sun Devils return to Tempe as winners of the Provo Regional and Tempe Super Regional as well as seeing their sixth Women's College World Series appearance.