Brown Strikes Out 18 in Shutout Victory Over BYU to Begin Big 12 Play

TEMPE – Kenzie Brown overcame early nerves in the first inning to deliver a dominant performance, leading ASU Softball to a 1-0 victory over BYU in their Big 12 opener on Thursday night.

After walking the first two batters, Brown found her rhythm and struck out 18 batters in a two-hit shutout. She fanned the side in the first, third, fourth, and seventh innings, while adding two strikeouts in the second, fifth, and sixth innings.

Her 18 strikeouts tie for the second-most in ASU history and set a program record for a conference game. This marks her third double-digit strikeout performance within a week, a feat accomplished only 10 times by Sun Devil pitchers since 2019.

The Sun Devil offense was stifled early, managing just three hits through the first five innings. Tiare Ho-Ching broke the deadlock in the sixth inning with a line drive to left-center that cleared the fence, providing all the offense needed for the .

BYU struggled with runners on base, finishing 0-for-11 in those situations, including 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. Brown escaped jams in the first and fifth innings, leaving Cougars stranded on second and third.

Ho-Ching had two of ASU’s four hits, with Tanya Windle and Samantha Swan contributing the others.

Notable

Brown’s 18 strikeouts tie her for second-most in program history, behind Katie Burkhart’s 23 strikeouts in a nine-inning game in 2007.

Her 18 strikeouts are tied for the most in a seven-inning game, matching Burkhart’s feat against Western Michigan in 2008.

Brown set a new record for strikeouts in a conference game, surpassing Dallas Escobedo’s 16 strikeouts against Arizona in 2014.

The last Big 12 pitcher to strike out 18 in a game was Kelley Maxwell of Oklahoma State against Kansas in 2022.

Brown’s 10-plus strikeout games this season mark the third such performance, the first since G Juarez in 2018.

Between 2019 and 2024, ASU pitchers had 10 double-digit strikeout games, with Brown achieving three in a week.

Ho-Ching’s multi-hit game was her fourth of the season, and her home run was her third, including her second game-winning homer.

ASU’s 1-0 win was their first since May 21, 2016, against LIU Brooklyn.

This is the second shutout win of the season, the first being an 11-0 victory against Weber State on Feb. 14.

Quotable

Arizona State Head Coach Megan Bartlett

On Brown and Ho-Ching’s performances:

“Kenzie was outstanding tonight, and Tiare stepped up in a big way. She had some great at-bats and executed our plan perfectly.”

On the rest of the series against BYU:

“Winning a series is a different challenge than winning a single game. You need to prepare well, adjust quickly, and stay composed. It’s a chess match, and BYU is a tough opponent. We’ll review the film and keep improving throughout the weekend.”

Senior Kenzie Brown

On her 18 strikeouts:

“I didn’t even realize I had that many strikeouts until after the game. I trusted my pitches, Samantha Swan behind the plate, and my defense. Everything just worked out for me tonight.”

Freshman Tiare Ho-Ching

On the team’s goal to beat the same team twice in a weekend:

“We’re focused on that because we haven’t yet managed to beat the same team twice in a weekend. It’s a key goal, and we’ll stick to our plan to achieve it.”

Up Next

The Sun Devils will face BYU in game two of the series at Farrington Stadium on Friday at 6 p.m.