TEMPE, Ariz. — As a possible loss loomed over Farrington Stadium on a warm afternoon, freshman Avery Motroni turned the tide abruptly for the Sun Devils. 

“I was basically told to put the ball in the air," Motroni said. “I just wanted to help my teammates and obviously do what my coaches have asked me to do.”

After going down 3-1 off a three-run home run from Memphis Tigers sophomore infielder Ariel Davis in the fifth inning, Arizona State (4-1) sparked a comeback, winning 4-3 on a walk-off single by junior infielder Katie Chester. 

“My last at-bats had been a strike out andI had popped up the last two at-bats,” Chester said. “I told myself to hit a ground ball.” 

Although ASU turned its game around in the seventh inning on Sunday, Feb. 8, the game was still a disappointment for the Sun Devils, leaving runners on the basepaths and going 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, with that one coming from a seventh-inning single by Chester. 

“Their energy looked a little bit off to me today and their confidence,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “I don't think we swung the bats with a lot of decisiveness.”

Continuing the theme from this Kajikawa Classic, ASU’s offense struggled out of the gate, going hitless between the second and seventh innings.

Yet, all it took was a single hit to right the ship.

“I will tell you, with this team, it takes like one big hit and then you watch the floodgates open,” Bartlett said. “You have to love the beauty of a freshman that she's like, ‘Oh, is this a big moment?’ Crack off the left field wall, it's like freshman magic.”

However, Bartlett is still tinkering with the lineup and seeing what works and what doesn't as time goes on. 

“The lineup is still kind of moving around a lot,” Bartlett said. “Just as time goes on and we settle in and people just start to step up a little bit better consistency at the plate, those things naturally will get easier.” 

Yet at this point in the season, a win is a win for Bartlett and her crew, regardless of whether it’s big or ugly.

“Any win (is) a good win,” Bartlett said. “I'm just happy they found a way. Sometimes you're gonna win big, sometimes you're gonna win ugly, and we'll certainly work through the process and work to get better.” 

As Day 4 of the Kajikawa Classic wrapped up, ASU went undefeated, winning all four matchups with its only loss coming to No. 3 Oklahoma, 2-1, which wasn’t a part of the tournament. 

However, for some, the weekend event is still making them feel good.

“My legs are sore,” Chester said. “But physically, I feel good, coming back after surgery last year. It just feels good to be out here and be able to do it.”

As the Sun Devils look to next week’s Littlewood Invitational, their high momentum and comeback hopes will be a morale booster for next week's tournament. 

“Knowing we can come back from a game like that I'm just so confident in us and our team and what we have going on,” Motroni said. “It's really reassuring going into the next tournament.”