May 5, 2013
Territorial Cup Series
TUCSON, Ariz. - Battling 21 mile per hour winds at Hillenbrand Stadium, Arizona State softball (43-9, 14-7 Pac-12) rallied back for a 7-6 win in the weekend finale at Arizona (30-23, 7-14 Pac-12).
The Wildcats started the game off scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Arizona State followed with three in the top of the third to tie it, 3-3, but UA was quick to get the lead back in the bottom of the third, 6-3, once again on another three-run frame. The clincher game for ASU in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs in what would ultimately be the game decider, 7-6.
ASU's starting pitcher Dallas Escobedo left in the bottom of the third after 2.2 innings pitched and one strikeout. Mackenzie Popescue made her second appearance of the weekend in relief, holding UA to two hits down the stretch for her 18th win of the year (18-5). Arizona's Shelby Babcock falls to 16-10 with the loss.
Arizona posted its largest lead of the series, in the quickest fashion for either team with a three-run opening inning. The two-out rally saw Kelsey Rodriguez plate Chelsea Suitos then Brigette Del Ponte score Lauren Young and Rodriguez on a play that involved an infield Sun Devil error, 3-0.
The Sun Devils recovered in the top of the third by scoring three runs to tie it at 3-3. Cheyenne Coyle came in on a double by Bethany Kemp and Sam Parlich hit in Haley Steele on a single to right center. To make it three-all, Kemp scored on Nikki Girard's single to short for a third-straight RBI hit.
Teetering back in favor of the Wildcats, Del Ponte got her third and fourth RBI of the game on a two-run homer down the left field line to give UA the lead again, 5-3. One final run came in to make it 6-3, the second time Arizona scored three runs in a stanza.
Both teams stayed quiet until Arizona State's bats woke up in the top of the seventh. Girard hit a clutch two-run double to left that brought the Sun Devils within reach, down 6-5. The 7-6 lead came off Elizabeth Caporuscio's chop down the right field line that scored Parlich and pinch runner Kayla Ketchum.
Arizona fought for bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh but a Popescue strikeout looking sealed the victory for the Sun Devils. Girard finished 2-for-4 at the plate, with three RBI. Parlich had a 3-for-4 outing offensively.
UP NEXT
Softball will host the final regular-season series against Oregon, May 9-11. Thursday's game is at 7 p.m. PT. Friday and Saturday's games are at 5 p.m. PT and both will be aired on the Pac-12 Network. Oregon clenched the 2013 Pac-12 Title on Sunday with a sweep over Oregon State.
NOTES
When there are two outs on the board, ASU has hit in 116 RBI to opponents 45.
In the weekend series, ASU allowed UA to score 11 runs on two outs (four on Sunday), ASU scored nine runs on two outs.
Remaining Softball TV Schedule
May 10 vs. Oregon 5 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
May 11 vs. Oregon 5 p.m. PT Pac-12 Network
Tickets For Final Home Series May 9-11 vs. Oregon | BUY TICKETS
Field Level $15
Reserved $12
GA Adult $10
GA Jr/Sr $9
Groups are still $8 for reserved and $5 for GA, minimum 15 tickets purchased
Road to the Championship | NCAA.com
NCAA Selection Show: May 12, 7 p.m. PT on ESPNU
64 teams, 31 automatic qualifiers, 16 seeded teams
Regionals: May 16-19 on 16 campus sites. Four-teams, double elimination
Super Regionals: May 23-26 on eight campus sites. Two teams, best-of-three format
(ESPN, ESPN2 and/or ESPNU)
WCWS: Oklahoma City May 30-June 5.
(ESPN, ESPN2 and/or ESPNU)