The back-and-forth battle between ASU softball and Texas Tech wasn't decided until the final batter of the game.
A sacrifice fly from junior shortstop Chelsea Gonzales gave the Sun Devils a 4-3 victory in a seventh inning comeback.
While ASU trailed going into the inning, they struck first in the game. Sophomore right fielder Nichole Chilson got the Sun Devils going with a deep home run to left center field to give ASU a 1-0 lead.
"I was just looking for a good pitch," Chilson said. "My approach was to hit a line drive, and I just got ahold of the ball and it went out."
Not only did Chilson have a spectacular night offensively, she defended her ground in right field with a diving catch in foul territory to end the second inning.
The pitching duties were split between two Sun Devils in tonight’s game.
Sophomore pitcher Breanna Macha starting off in the circle, pitching the first four innings before being replaced by redshirt junior pitcher Kelsey Kessler in the fifth inning.
Kessler looked to repeat last night’s game against the Red Raiders, where she threw a perfect six innings giving up no hits.
However, the Red Raiders took advantage of Kessler's familiar face and pitching style. Co-interim head coach Letty Olivarez knew there were times that they caught on to Kessler's pitches.
"There were situations and certain pitches that we should have changed up from the day before," Olivarez said. "They just knew what to expect."
In the fifth inning, a hard hit grounder up the middle caused some trouble for second baseman Nikki Girard. She was able to put a glove on the ball but couldn’t complete the play, and a run came in to even the score at one.
Things didn’t stop there for the Red Raiders. Third baseman Jessica Hartwell started the sixth inning with a ball hit square on the barrel. It sailed over the fence to give Texas Tech a 2-1 lead.
ASU answered in the bottom half of the inning when Gonzales responded with a solo home run. She went 2-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
The lead didn't last. The Red Raiders hit a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning to take back the lead.
Sophomore Brynly Steele came into the seventh inning as a pinch hitter for the Sun Devils and struck quickly. She hit a home run to tie the game at three.
"I just wanted to get on base, since we were tied," Steele said. "A lead off runner is always important, so I was just trying to do that."
The Sun Devils played small ball for the rest of the seventh inning. Freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra got on base after a perfectly placed bunt. Senior center fielder Jennifer Soria's sacrifice bunt pushed runners to second and third.
Gonzales then finished the game with a walk off sacrifice fly to help the Sun Devils secure the win 4-3.
The Sun Devils will look to pick up the final win tomorrow and sweep Texas Tech. First pitch thrown at 11:30 a.m.
Reach the reporter at lmbrunet@asu.edu or follow @Leah_brunette on Twitter.
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