Ho-Ching, Lauppe Lead Softball to Upset of No. 21 Oregon to Open Littlewood Classic

TEMPE – Tiare Ho-Ching delivered the walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth to give Sun Devil Softball a 4-3 win over No. 21 Oregon in the opening game of the Littlewood Classic at Farrington Stadium.

With the international tiebreak rule in effect, Ho-Ching led off the eighth with a runner at second. She ripped a 1-2 pitch down the first base line, where it deflected off the defender's glove, allowing Tanya Windle to score from second.

THE FRESHMAN WALKS US OFF ??#ForksUp /// @tiarehoching pic.twitter.com/iUJms1nTpO

— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) February 14, 2025

Oregon opened the night with a run in the first inning, but a two-run double from Ho-Ching in the third gave ASU its first lead. Kelsey Hall came through with a sacrifice fly for a 3-1 advantage. The Ducks countered with two runs in the fourth before the bullpens took over.

Meika Lauppe entered for the Sun Devils in the fifth inning and preceded to throw four scoreless innings without allowing a hit and notching three strikeouts. After Oregon had a runner at third and nobody out in the top of the eight, Lauppe stranded the runner to setup the winning hit in the bottom of the frame.

Cambree Creager started in the circle for the Sun Devils and allowed one run on three hits in three innings.

Notable

• The win follows a 6-4 victory over then-No. 21 (ESPN) California on Sunday.
• ASU snapped a six-game losing streak to Oregon that dated back to the 2022 season.
• Ho-Ching picked up her first career walk-off hit and her second multi-hit game.
• Ho-Ching now leads the team with two multi-RBI games.
• The outing from Lauppe was the longest scoreless appearance of her career.
• The four innings is also the most without allowing a hit in a game from Lauppe.
• Oregon entered the weekend leading the country with a .464 batting average but went 4-for-30 (.133) on Thursday.

Quotable
Freshman Tiara Ho-Ching:
On the walk-off hit tonight: 
"I've never been in a position like this before. To be in the moment, live in it, and not focus on making it bigger than what it is. Pressure is a privilege. I was put in that situation, and whatever happened out of it was meant to happen. It felt good to come in clutch for my team." 

On how her nerves have progressed further into the beginning of the season: 
"After my first game, honestly, my nerves have been a lot more calm. I want to be competitive, and I wanna get at it. With that, I've played a lot looser." 

On how she approached her last at-bat: 
"I can't go up thinking that I'm gonna hit a homer and save the game right now. I need to put my team first and move the runner. I need to get her to third base whether I get out or not. Put my team first." 

Sophomore Meika Lauppe:
On how it feels to be a veteran having a performance like this: 
"It felt really good. I've been wanting that moment for my team and I think that we all deserved it tonight. It was a big turning point for us." 

On how it felt to get a revenge game against Oregon: 
"Last year, I got put in against Oregon, and we ended up losing that game. I threw almost five innings and gave up one home run. I really wanted the Ducks. I knew that we could totally beat them, and that's what we did. We went Duck hunting." 

On how the pitching staff slowed down Oregon's offense: 
"We talked about it on film that just because they did what they did against other teams doesn't mean they'll do that against us. Going in, we took that confidence, we can take them om." 

Head Coach Megan Bartlett
On the tone of the last two games
"Their confidence grows every day, and they're stepping up in big moments and doing things with confidence and moxie. This group is fun. They're going to keep fighting, and they're going to keep battling, and they won't be perfect, but they don't give up, and they demand a lot from each other."

On Meika Lauppe's pitching:
"She's battling. She's getting deep in at-bats, and she's winning them. They got a runner to third with no outs, and Meika slammed the door. She is such a hard worker and such a good person, and a smart kid. I have watched that kid work and grind so hard over the past two years, and now, to see her start to have this level of success, I'm just so happy for her."

On what the win means to the program:
"I'm really proud and certainly grateful to the 21 kids in that clubhouse, that they chose to be Sun Devils. Some of this young group, this freshman class you're watching, they committed two years ago when the program was ripped apart. So not only were we certainly hoping that we did our job evaluating while in the recruiting process, but honestly, they trusted us to right the ship before we got here, to make sure the clubhouse was in a good place and all the pieces were in place. So, by the time they arrived, the program was ready to compete because those kids could have played at other schools. I think that amount of trust and love, to now see this come to fruition, we have the program back on track. It's making all the sleepless nights worth it."

Up Next
The Littlewood Classic continues on Friday, and ASU plays a pair of games. They begin with a game against North Dakota at 4 p.m., followed immediately after with a contest against Weber State. Be sure to follow @ASUsoftball on X/Twitter for updates to game times.