A series that had a combined 30 runs ended with a pitchers duel in No. 23 ASU softball's finale with No. 10 Utah on Sunday afternoon in Tempe.
After splitting each of the first two games with the Utes, the Sun Devils (27-14, 6-9 Pac-12) fell just short on Sunday to suffer the loss, 2-1.
“It was a hard-fought game, somebody’s got to lose, and unfortunately, it was us,” head coach Trisha Ford said.
It took four innings for a run to hit the scoreboard, and it was Utah who took the lead first. But the Sun Devils responded quickly in the next inning with a RBI single from sophomore infielder Taylor Becerra to tie the game.
“All game, I was hitting it right at people, so it felt good to finally get that one in the gap,” Becerra said. “I felt like we needed something. It gets to me a little bit when I have runners on, finally I was able to cash in.”
B5: Sun Devils pull even with an RBI single from Becerra! No. 10 Utah and No. 23 ASU are tied, 1-1. pic.twitter.com/AP8srtkD6N
— Sun Devil Softball (@ASUSoftball) April 23, 2017
ASU’s bats continued to fight as the Sun Devils put up a threat in the bottom of the sixth starting with a lead-off single from senior catcher Sashel Palacios. Yet with runners at first and third and one out later in the inning, ASU was unable to cash in, as happened for much of the game.
In the top half of the seventh, Utah broke the tie with a home run from senior infielder Bridget Castro to take a 2-1 lead in the game's final inning.
That didn’t take the fight out of ASU, however, whose energy could be heard from the dugout all game long, and that didn't change in the seventh.
“These games get pretty long — especially today, it felt like 100 degrees — but we just needed to be in it the whole time and our team does a really good job at keeping the energy up," senior infielder Chelsea Gonzales said. “We did a lot of preparation this week, pitching machines of their pitchers, we felt very confident out there.”
Junior outfielder Nichole Chilson led off the bottom of the seventh with a double to left field, and sophomore outfielder Skyler McCarty drew a walk. But the Sun Devils could not come through and stranded both runners once more.
Freshman pitcher Alyssa Loza (4-0, 0.32 ERA) started her first Pac-12 game as a freshman and did so in style, pitching seven innings and allowed just three hits and two walks for two earned runs.
“I think Alyssa did a fantastic job, her first Pac-12 start as freshman and I thought she came in and pitched lights out, she did what we’ve been preaching — hitting your spots and changing speeds — and she did just that,” Ford said.
Utah junior Katie Donovan (13-7, 2.65 ERA) spoiled Loza's debut with a gem of her own. Donovan pitched five innings while allowing two hits and one earned run with five strikeouts.
Though the Sun Devils lost the series, both defeats were within arm’s reach. ASU lost by just one run on both Saturday and Sunday to the tenth-ranked team in the country, continuing to show its improvement within the Pac-12.
“We finally put together three games where we had a lot of grit and a lot of fight," Ford said. "I don’t think anyone was comfortable until the last out and so for me it’s (the team) understanding and learning that, and now we have to repeat that."
Ford said that they’ll need to continue to play with that grit and fight to succeed this weekend as ASU hits the road to Tucson this weekend for a series with rival Arizona. The series begins Friday at 6 p.m.
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