by Ross Dunham
TEMPE – The No. 23 Arizona State University softball team won the series opener against Utah, 6-4, on Friday night in front of 1,051 fans at Farrington Stadium.
The Sun Devils (30-16, 8-7) fought back from a three-run deficit in the fourth inning, scoring five runs in the fourth and fifth to take out the Utes (31-16, 9-10). Chelsea Gonzales had the hit of the game, a two-RBI base-clearing double in the bottom of fifth to provide the final advantage for the Sun Devils.
Freshman Breanna Macha picked up her 14th victory of the season in the circle, throwing a complete game in the effort. The right-hander gave up four runs on just four hits – three of which were home runs – while striking out six and allowing just one walk.
The youngster did not give up a hit after Bridget Castro's solo shot in the fourth, retiring 12 of the final 13 batters she faced and keeping the Utes off the scoreboard for the final three innings.
Utah leapt out to an early one-run lead after two-hole hitter Kate Dickman hit a 3-2 pitch over the center field fence for a solo home run.
The Sun Devil bats backed up Macha by immediately getting that run back in the bottom half of the first. With runners on first and third and two outs, Haley Steele singled up the middle to plate Chelsea Gonzales and tie the game up at one.
In turn it was the Utes to strike next in the third. Anissa Urtez hit a single up the middle with one out, turning the lineup over to the top for Hannah Flippen, who hooked a pitch from Macha just over the fence in left for a two-run shot to take a 3-1 lead.
In the fourth, Utah extended its lead to three with yet another home run, this time off the bat of designated player Bridget Castro, who hit the first pitch she saw in the at bat right at the scoreboard in left.
ASU loaded the bases up in its half of the fourth, but could only manage to push across one run on a Caporuscio fielder’s choice, cutting the deficit back down to two.
Macha then went out and worked efficiently in the fifth, making quick work of the Utes to bring the ASU bats back up right away.
And it only seemed a matter of time before the Devils got the clutch hit. Working off the building momentum from the inning prior and Macha’s 1-2-3 fifth, ASU plated four runs on four hits as well as help from a Utah error in the fifth to take 6-4 lead. A Caporuscio single to left center tied the game after a sac fly earlier, and then Gonzales hit a double to left center that plated two, taking the lead.
Solid defense and this two-run RBI double by @cgonzales112 was the difference in tonight's 6-4 victory over Utah! http://t.co/zZjEjfxVkb
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 25, 2015
Macha retired 10 straight through the first out in the final inning, and even though a walk stopped that streak, she sat down the final two batters to close out the game.
These two teams will be back out on the diamond 7 p.m. Saturday night for the second game of the series.