As is stated in senior catcher Amber Freeman's walk-up song, it'll be "on to the next one" for ASU softball after Saturday's loss.
In its second game of three against Utah, No. 23 ASU fell in devastating fashion by a score of 8-1 after giving up three home runs to a lineup that rarely feeds off the long ball.
Freshman Dale Ryndak took the circle for the Sun Devils (30-17, 8-8 Pac-12), pitching four innings en route to four earned runs and her eighth loss in 21 decisions this season. Junior Alexis Cooper relieved Ryndak in the fifth inning of play.
"I thought Dale (Ryndak) did a good job through three innings," ASU head coach Craig Nicholson said. "But she just kind of fell apart. (There were) pitches that you've got to put in better spots than she put them."
Senior third baseman Haley Steele started things off for ASU in the bottom of the first, getting an RBI fielder's choice with the bases loaded that put the Sun Devils on top 1-0.
The Sun Devils struggled on offense in this game, achieving only two hits in their first 22 at-bats against a Ute pitching staff that has hardly been dominant this season.
Nicholson saw the offensive issues as a poor response to what the Utes were throwing at his team.
"Early in the game we didn't do a very good job of making adjustments offensively," Nicholson said.
After two scoreless innings on both sides, the Utes (32-16, 10-10 Pac-12) took this game over in the top of the fourth inning as sophomore Bella Secaira sent a three-run home run deep to center field. The homer gave Utah a 3-1 advantage.
In the very next inning, the Utes ballooned their lead and rattled Ryndak. Sophomore Anissa Urtez ignited the Utah offense with a solo shot to left field, and then seniors Kate Dickman and Maddy Woodward got involved with an RBI double and two-RBI single, respectively.
Oddly enough, a Utah team that has less than half of the home runs as ASU showed off its power against the Sun Devils on Saturday.
And that offensive onslaught continued in the top of the seventh as Woodward hit a solo home run to center to put Utah on top 8-1 entering the bottom of the final frame, a deficit from which ASU could not recover.
Nicholson said that a lot of things went wrong today for his Sun Devil squad.
"We need to keep getting better, and tonight was a step in the wrong direction," Nicholson said. "But if we respond tomorrow and win the series against a good (Utah) team, we're okay."
ASU and Utah are scheduled, weather permitting, to play their rubber match at 12 p.m. on Sunday at Farrington Stadium in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RClarkeASU on Twitter.
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