Feb. 22, 2004
TEMPE – The University of Iowa softball team finished the 2004 Louisville Slugger Classic with a record of 3-2 after a 3-0 loss at the hands of No. 22 Arizona State Sunday.
The Sun Devils avenged their 9-0 defeat at the hands of Iowa the night before by silencing the Hawkeye bats. Iowa managed only five hits on the day.
Arizona State took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI single from Himmita Hixon. A solo home run by Valerie Sevilla stretched the lead to 2-0 in the fourth, and Heidi Knabe ended the scoring with a solo shot of her own in the seventh.
Lisa Birocci started the game in the circle for Iowa, giving up three hits in three innings. She was replaced by Ali Arnold, who pitched the final four frames.
Arnold, Birocci, Kylie Murray, Natalie Johnson and Sarah Thomson each had a hit for Iowa.
The Hawkeyes will return to action next weekend at the Louisville Red and Black Tournament in Louisville, KY. Iowa starts off Friday with a game against Toledo at 11 a.m., then plays Western Kentucky at 1 p.m.