In a wild extra inning ballgame against Cal, Sun Devils came out on top with a 7-4 win.
Senior centerfielder Jennifer Soria was a main contributor in this victory. She hit a big home run in the ninth inning, which allowed ASU to take back a 5-4 lead. Following her homer, senior second baseman Nikki Girard locked in the Sun Devil win with a two-run shot to the outfield, stretching the lead to 7-4.
This game seemed to be in the Sun Devils' hands early. The offense was hot in the first three innings, but the team let its foot off the gas.
Soria started the game off with a solo home run in the first to get the Sun Devils on the board.
In the third, she and freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra continued the momentum with back-to-back singles. Junior shortstop Chelsea Gonzales followed with a sacrifice bunt to move the runners into scoring position, which allowed senior second baseman Nikki Girard to single in a run and stretch the lead 2-0.
Redshirt junior pitcher Kelsey Kessler (12-5) looked to continue her success in the circle after taking all three wins last weekend against Texas Tech. She pitched flawlessly for six innings, giving up only three hits and no runs.
Kessler almost completed a shutout before giving up a two-run homer late in the seventh inning, allowing the Golden Bears to tie things up and push the game into extra innings.
Sophomore designated player Brynley Steele put the Sun Devils back on top in the eighth inning with a two-run shot, making the score 4-2.
Thanks to some defensive errors from ASU, Cal was able to tie the game up once again 4-4 in the eighth inning.
The ninth inning was the deciding factor in this Sun Devil win. With Soria and Girard's home runs, the team was in a comfortable spot, pushing the lead 7-4.
Sophomore pitcher Dale Ryndak pitched for two innings, giving up only one hit and securing the win for ASU. Ryndak picked up this win and increased her perfect record to 8-0.
The Sun Devils will be back tomorrow at 4 p.m.as they face the Golden Bears for game two of the series.
Reach the reporter at lmbrunet@asu.edu or follow @Leah_brunette on Twitter.
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