TUCSON – A pitcher’s duel quickly turned into a home run derby down in Tucson, Ariz., and it was the No. 21/21 Arizona State University softball team that ultimately came out on top in an exciting 8-5 victory over No. 14/14 Arizona in the first game of the Territorial Cup series Friday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
Chelsea Gonzales rallied the Sun Devils (23-10, 4-2 Pac-12) from a 4-3 seventh inning deficit with a grand slam – her eighth homer of the season – in a game that featured four home runs, 16 hits, 12 runs, three lead changes and a tie in the final three innings of action.
Take a look at @cgonzales112's monster 7th-inning grand salami, brought to you by the @Pac12Networks : http://t.co/iqU0py0CL3
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 28, 2015
The game had all the makings of a pitcher’s duel early with UA’s Michelle Floyd (15-5) holding ASU hitless for 4 2/3 innings while ASU’s Breanna Macha allowed just three hits and a run through four innings.
Many expected an offensive explosion coming into the game and both teams obliged when the fifth inning came around in a back-and-forth affair the culminated in ASU’s sixth grand slam of the season in the seventh inning that turned the game on its head.
Trailing 4-3 entering the decisive seventh inning, Abby Spiel started things off with a single through the right side and advanced to second on a Sierra Rodriguez infield single. That brought up Caporuscio, who drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases for Gonzales.
Gonzales quickly went down 0-2 in the count but had a couple hard-hit fouls and finally put a charge in one, taking it to deep left field for ASU’s third grand slam in the seventh inning of games this season.
Amber Freeman followed that with a double down the left field line to bring up Sashel Palacios, who had a hard single up the middle that couldn’t get corralled in the outfield and allowed pinch runner Marisa Stankiewicz to come home from second and give ASU an 8-4 lead.
The bottom of the seventh didn’t come without excitement as Chelsea Suitos led off with a single and Katiyana Mauga put runners on second and third with a one-out double off of Dale Ryndak.
Chelsea Goodacre popped up to second for the second out but Mo Mercado plated Suitos on an infield single to get UA back within 8-5 with runners on the corners and the tying run coming to the plate in the form of Lauren Young, who homered earlier in the game.
Young would pop out harmlessly to shortstop, however, ending the game and improving Ryndak to 10-5 on the season and drop the Wildcats to 27-8 and 2-2 in Pac-12 action.
The Wildcats got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning as Hallie Wilson reached on a leadoff walk. Macha would retire the next two batters but Mauga knocked one off the wall in the gap in left center to bring Wilson home from first and give the UA an early 1-0 lead.
The Devils struggled to figure out Floyd through four and two-thirds innings, but ASU’s first hit of the game put them on the board with a three-run dinger off the bat of Elizabeth Caporuscio to give the Devils a 3-1 lead.
Bethany Kemp led off the top of the fifth with a walk but was thrown out at first on a Nikki Girard fielder’s choice. That brought Abby Spiel to the plate, only to go down swinging on the 2-2 count.
The biggest play of the inning - outside of the home run - came at that point as ASU head coach Craig Nicholson appealed the UA lineup card after the Wildcats failed to properly re-enter catcher Chelsea Goodacre. Spiel was brought back to the plate and drew the full-count walk to put runners on first and second with one out.
Pinch runner and lead runner Brynley Steele was then thrown out at third on a Sierra Rodriguez fielder’s choice but that brought up Caporuscio, who launched her fourth homer of the season over the wall in right field to put ASU on top.
This three-run @lizarrrd55 bomb was ASU's first hit of the game and it was a big one, giving ASU a 3-1 lead. http://t.co/MJDlB6ZQ9O
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) March 28, 2015
The Wildcats wasted no time responding as a Wilson standup double would set up Kellie Fox’s two-run shot to left center to square things up a three a piece.
After Macha picked up two quick outs to open the bottom of the sixth, Lauren Young got a piece of one for a two-out bomb to center that just cleared the glove of Spiel and put the Wildcats back on top, 4-3, and set up the climactic seventh inning.