(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
Arizona State would get another chance to oust the No. 3 ranked Michigan Wolverines in the final game of the Louisville Slugger Invitational, but its effort wouldn’t quite be enough. Michigan walked away with the 6-2 victory while ASU only managed to string together four hits.
It was clear the game would be a low-scoring pitching battle as both teams had its ace on the hill. Michigan’s Haylie Wagner entered the game with a 6-1 record and a 1.63 ERA and Breanna Macha, for the Sun Devils, was coming off an eight-inning no hitter earlier in the weekend.
Macha started the game by striking out the side. When she came back in the second inning however, she left a fastball in the zone and the lefty Kelsey Susalla roped it over the right field wall for her fifth homer of the season and gave Michigan the early 1-0 lead.
The very next inning the Wolverines would put another stick on the board. Leadoff batter Sierra Lawrence crushed a ball nearly 30 feet over the fence in left field. This was only Macha’s second hit surrendered but it was another long ball improving the score to 2-0.
“They have a very stacked lineup and you have to think keep the ball low, especially with the wind blowing out” Macha said.
Wagner rolled for three innings only giving up one hit. However the Sun Devil offense finally got to her in the bottom of the fourth inning when Chelsea Gonzalez cranked a solo-homerun to get her team in the run column. Wagner walked the next batter Bethany Kemp, and then was pulled without getting an out in the fourth.
Megan Betsa entered the game and the first pitch she threw hit Sashal Palacios in the back. Two batters later with Kemp on third, Jennifer Soria hit a ball back to the pitcher and Kemp scored on a fielder’s choice, tying the game 2-2 through four innings of play.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Sierra Romero reached base for Michigan on a walk in the top of the sixth. Lauren Sweet then promptly homered to right field breaking the game open 4-2.
The Devils put some stress on the Wolverines in the bottom half of the inning getting the bases loaded but Michigan brought back their starting pitcher Wagner when Betsa was hit by a ball that was struck back at her. Wagner avoided the jam to get out of the inning.
Coach Nicholson brought in Dale Ryndak to pitch the seventh inning for ASU and it was not as successful as planned. Abby Ramirez reached base on a single and then Sierra Lawrence drove a ball opposite field over the right center field wall for her second homerun of the game. Michigan took the commanding 6-2 lead.
Wagner came out for Michigan to close the game out but would have to face the heart of the ASU order. But they had no answer. The three, four, and five batters were retired in order to end the ballgame.
The Sun Devils drop both games they played against the Wolverines but will get another chance at them when they play Thursday. Macha will have the same plan going forward.
“I’m still going to attack every single batter,” Macha said. “That’s my mentality.”
Even with the loss, which drops ASU to 15-7 on the season, the heads of the Sun Devils will still be held high.
“It’s not about how good you are on March 1 it’s about how good you are when May roles around” Nicholson said.
