Keep the brooms in the closet for now.
In the final game of three in a road series against rival No. 14 Arizona (28-9, 3-3 Pac-12), No. 21 ASU softball (24-11, 5-3 Pac-12) lost in devastating fashion by a score of 11-1 in five innings.
Freshman Breanna Macha, who got the win in game one against the Wildcats, took the circle once again for the Sun Devils and pitched 4.2 innings before handing the reigns over to freshman Dale Ryndak. Macha finished her evening with a loss after giving up seven hits and eight runs.
ASU had a chance to do some damage in the first, loading the bases before senior third baseman Haley Steele popped out to end the inning, leaving all three runners stranded.
The Sun Devils couldn't capitalize with runners on base in the second inning, either, leaving two more stranded.
Arizona didn't need any players on base to score its first run, which came off of a solo shot from senior catcher Chelsea Goodacre in the bottom of the second.
The Wildcats managed another home run in the inning, a two-run bomb off the bat of redshirt sophomore Mandie Perez.
Inning No. 3 was another example of wasted opportunity for ASU as it left the bases loaded yet again without scoring a run. This marked eight stranded base runners in the first three innings for the Sun Devils.
Arizona extended its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third frame, gaining a run off the error by ASU junior Nikki Girard at second base.
Macha struggled to contain a powerful Arizona lineup in the fourth, giving up two additional runs on the two-RBI single by Goodacre.
In the fifth inning, ASU broke the offensive seal on an RBI single by sophomore catcher Sashel Palacios, reducing the deficit to five.
Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, a disappointing trend continued in the fifth as they left the bases loaded for the third time in this game, bringing the stranded runner count up to 12.
Arizona continued to dominate with a two-run home run in the fifth inning by senior utility player Hallie Wilson, and resoundingly ended the affair on a three-run shot by its most powerful hitter, sophomore Katiyana Mauga.
The Sun Devils' next game will also be on the road, the first of a doubleheader with New Mexico State. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Monday, April 6. Game two will be played immediately after the first.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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