For the second straight night, No. 15 UCLA won on a walk-off home run won the game.
On Saturday night, the outburst came after not scoring a run through the first six innings. ASU softball led 5-0 going into the seventh after strong offense and solid pitching from starter redshirt junior Kelsey Kessler (13-10, 3.26 ERA) and sophomore Dale Ryndak (8-5, 3.94 ERA).
The Sun Devils took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning after senior second baseman Nikki Gerard singled up the middle for her 39th RBI of the season. The score would remain that way until the fifth, when a routine grounder was bobbled, allowing freshman first baseman Ulufa Leilua to reach second base and senior left fielder Abby Spiel to get onto first.
Freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra then laid down an immaculate bunt to load the bases with no outs. The Sun Devils scored two runs in the fifth inning, extending its lead to 3-0.
While its offense put runs on the board, ASU's defense may be featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays all night. Two standouts came from senior outfielder Jennifer Soria and junior catcher Sashel Palacios.
Soria saved a three-run home run with a leaping grab at the fence in the first inning, and Palacios made an incredible diving catch from behind the plate. In the sixth inning, senior left fielder Abby Spiel made a diving grab in foul territory to make another spectacular grab.
In the fifth inning, Kessler walked the first two batters, prompting the coaches to put sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryndak in to relieve her.
Trouble was on the horizon after Ryndak walked another batter to put three Bruins on base with no outs. However, she struck out the next batter and then helped get a 1-2-3 double play to escape the inning unscathed.
The ASU defense put on a show tonight. Can't question the heart of these kids on D as they laid it all out there.https://t.co/p2Fs6r84KZ
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) May 1, 2016
In the sixth inning, the Sun Devils continued to hit well. They tacked on another two runs to head into the seventh with a 5-0 lead.
Ryndak gave up a base hit to begin the bottom of the seventh. Kessler re-entered the game, hoping to end her team's 10-game losing
UCLA had other plans.
With runners on second and third, UCLA doubled. One runner came home and the other stopped at third. Two batters later, a base hit drove them home.
Down 5-3 with runners on first and second, UCLA hit a three-run walk-off home run to seal ASU's fate. The Sun Devils fell 6-5.
ASU will get another chance to prove themselves tomorrow afternoon against UCLA at noon.
Reach the reporter at kcvalen1@asu.edu or follow @kvalenzuela17 on Twitter.
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