April 16, 2010
TEMPE, Ariz. – A flat offensive output doomed the sixth-ranked Sun Devil softball team Friday night as they fell 3-1 to the 16th-ranked Cal Golden Bears in Tempe. Hillary Bach took the loss to fall to 17-3 on the year while ASU drops to 35-7 overall and 4-3 in the Pac-10 while Cal improves to 31-11 and 2-5 in conference play.
With Hillary Bach getting the starting nod for the Sun Devils, she entered the game with a 17-2 record and gunning for more as she matched-up against Cal’s Henderson. The Sun Devils struck first in the game, capitalizing on a Bear error which Kaylyn Castillo made them pay for with an RBI-single to bring home Lesley Rogers in the bottom of the first.
The Bears were feisty though as they came firing back in the second inning as Lindsey Ziegenhirt crushed a solo shot to left to even it out at one apiece. The Devils threatened again in the bottom of the inning, loading the bases with only one out, which forced Cal to call a powwow to recoup with the plot working as a pick off at third followed up with a strikeout ended the inning with the score still knotted.
The Bears got a bit grizzly in the fifth inning as well as Elia Reid muscled out a solo shot to left field to snake the lead for the first time 2-1. The Sun Devils just couldn’t seem to retaliate though as they looked lackadaisical through the rest of the game, leaving nine on base in the outing.
The Bears took advantage of a Devil misplay and hit batter in the seventh to add another run to their tally as they pulled ahead 3-1 and out of reach for the Sun Devils. Bach took the loss to fall to 17-3 overall while Jolene Henderson grabbed her 14th win to improve Cal.
For video highlights and interviews, please click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qc57x7Tjlg
The Sun Devils will head back to the home diamond tomorrow as they set to take on the Cal Golden Bears yet again at 7 p.m. in Tempe at Farrington Stadium. The Sun Devils will also be auctioning off their jerseys from their Annual Pink-Out event for proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.