ASU Softball: Ducks overwhelm Devils in run-rule victory for Oregon

(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)

For the second consecutive game of the series, the No. 2 Oregon Duck’s bats were too much for Arizona State to handle, as the Sun Devils drop Game 2 of the three-game series 12-3 in six innings.

The Ducks decided to put their No. 3 starter, Geri Ann Glasco , in the circle. Glasco is 6-1 on the season in seven starts. ASU placed one of its star freshmen, Dale Ryndak, on the rubber. She would be looking for her 13^th win of the season.

ASU was close to getting on the board in the top of the first inning when Sashel Palacios lined a hit up the middle and Elizabeth Caporuscio charged home from second base, but centerfielder Koral Costa made a perfect throw home and Caporuscio was called out on a questionable call at the plate.

Oregon then got its shot to put some runs on the board and did so, picking up two runs in the bottom of the first. Both runs came with two outs. The first came on a single from the pitcher, Glasco, and the next batter, Janelle Lindvall, singled to right field, giving Oregon the 2-0 lead.

The lead wouldn’t last for even a half inning as the Devils answered in the top of the second. Haley Steele reached on a leadoff single and then Bethany Kemp crushed a high fastball over the fence for her 10^th homerun of the season. ASU tied it 2-2.

Mike White, the Ducks skipper, decided to pull Glasco after only one inning of work and brought in Karissa Hovinga. The senior then retired the side in order, avoiding any more trouble.

The momentum then changed as Oregon came back to the plate, and had its first two batters reach base on a hit-by-pitch and walk. The next two hitters, Nikki Udria and Janie Takeda, brought in both base runners with singles.

With one out and Udria on third base, Jenna Lilley did her job with a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the Ducks the 5-2 lead.

Hovinga continued to cruise with scoreless third and fourth innings. Meanwhile, the Ducks bats stayed alive, as they tacked on three more runs. Ryndak was taken out in the fourth inning and junior Alexis Cooper came in and gave up one run, which was charged to Ryndak to make it 8-2, Oregon.

Finally the Devils got something going in the fifth inning thanks to an error by Danica Mercado, which put Chelsea Gonzales on the base path. The poor fielding by Oregon continued as third baseman Lilley made an error on Amber Freeman’s groundball. The woes of the play had not finished as the ball rolled into left field Sammie Puentes couldn’t hang on to it, allowing Gonzales to come around and score.

That would be the only run ASU could capture in the inning.

Oregon’s offense would prove to be too much for Cooper, and in the sixth inning, Glasco scored Lilley on an RBI single to left centerfield. The very next batter, Udria, homered with two runners on, improving the score to 12-3, and that would be enough for the mercy rule, giving Oregon the victory. The walk-off homerun was Udria’s second of the season.

Ryndak would walk away with the loss and Hovinga, pitching in relief, picked up her ninth win of the season.

For the second straight day, the second best team in the country was too powerful for the Sun Devils, but ASU will get one last chance to redeem itself Sunday. First pitch is noon, and you can watch the game on the Pac-12 Network.