ASU softball entered the Judi Garman Classic with a 15-2 record, but were promptly dealt back-to-back losses for the first time this season.
The Sun Devils fought hard in game one, but ended up losing 10-8 against Long Beach State as pitching ultimately couldn’t find its spark throughout the first half of the game.
Sophomore pitcher Breanna Macha started the game off with struggles in the circle, allowing the 49ers to put six runs in the first inning. Macha had found her momentum in the second inning, but it turned back on her in the third, where she gave up another four runs.
Macha pitched three innings before being relieved by redshirt junior pitcher Kelsey Kessler.
Kessler performed flawlessly the rest of the game, striking out six batters and giving up no hits.
Offense tried to make up for the runs given up by Macha, but fell short.
When it came to the Sun Devils bats, they were all over the ball, totaling 16 hits and five doubles.
Leading the offense was sophomore right fielder Nichole Chilson, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Senior center fielder Jennifer Soria went 3-for-5 with a double and a RBI.
Pitching looked to redeem itself from the loss against Long Beach State in the second game of the day against Cal State Fullerton. After a pristine performance in the previous game, Kessler came back in the circle to look for a win against the Titans.
The game displayed back-and-forth battling between the teams.
The Titans got on the board first 1-0, but ASU’s offense responded in the fourth. With runners on the corners, senior left fielder Allie Butterfield knocked in an RBI for ASU’s first run of the game. Freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra also got herself an RBI after a groundout to push in the Sun Devils second run, taking the 2-1 lead.
The sixth inning posed some difficulty for Kessler, and Fullerton took advantage of that and put another run on the board, tying the game at two.
The game then went into extra innings, but Cal State Fullerton was one step ahead and took the 3-2 win over the Sun Devils in the bottom of the eighth inning.
ASU will look to build from their two consecutive losses tomorrow as they face off with Wisconsin at 8:00 p.m. PT in Fullerton, CA.
Reach the reporter at lmbrunet@asu.edu or follow @Leah_brunette on Twitter.
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