LOS ANGELES – The Arizona State University softball team dominated for six innings on Saturday, but a six-run seventh inning by No. 15 UCLA broke up the upset bid in a 6-5 walk-off loss in Los Angeles.
The Sun Devil defense played out of its collective mind, diving for balls all over the place, turning double plays, robbing home runs and everything in between in what will surely amount to one amazing highlight reel. Seniors Jenn Soria and Nikki Girard went 2-for-4 at the plate, each with an RBI that – coupled with the incredible defensive fortitude – staked the Sun Devils a 5-0 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The ASU defense put on a show tonight. Can't question the heart of these kids on D as they laid it all out there.https://t.co/p2Fs6r84KZ
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) May 1, 2016
It was déjà vu all over again for ASU, unfortunately, as the pitching staff was unable to record a single out in the final frame as the Bruins raked off six straight runs on four hits and two walks – capped by Gabrielle Maurice’s three-run walk-off home run the finish off a 12-pitch at-bat.
Kelsey Kessler earned the start and pitched effectively for the first four innings of the game, fanning five and limiting the potent Bruin offense to just two hits. She would return to the game in the seventh after Dale Ryndak gave up a leadoff single following two scoreless innings put was unable to get back into the groove as she gave up five of the six runs in the inning to take the loss.
Girard put the Sun Devils up in the first, bringing Soria across with a two-out RBI single.
The Devils made it a 3-0 game in the fifth as Soria drove in a run on a bases-loaded single and Palacios would bring another home on a sacrifice fly. Ryndak entered in the bottom of the fifth after three straight walks loaded the bases with no outs, but the sophomore escaped the jam with a huge strikeout and then helping turn a 1-2-3 double play to get out of things with the Devils still on top.
ASU then tabbed two more in the sixth with RBI singles from Margaret Stahm and Nichole Chilson to give the Devils a 5-0 advantage. Unfortunately, the effort would not prove to be quite enough, despite the incredible heart shown from the Sun Devil defense throughout the contest to keep ASU on top.
The final game of the series will get underway tomorrow at 1 p.m. PT.