ASU Softball: No. 1 UCLA ties series after 5-1 win over Sun Devils

(Photo: Liesl Babicka/WCSN)

Despite pulling off the upset win Thursday night, No. 6 Arizona State softball team (43-10, 16-7 Pac-12) falls to No. 1 UCLA (49-4, 19-4) in game two of the series 5-1. With a win a piece for both teams, the series will be determined Saturday afternoon at 12 p.m.

The Bruins head coach Kelly Inouye-Perez made the decision to start Rachel Garcia even though she pitched the night before, earning her second loss of the season.

“I think this is her first weekend though that she’s thrown back to back games,” said ASU head coach Trisha Ford. “I think they needed this win and I think we did some things to win this game and we just didn’t finish.”

Rylee Maston earned her fourth start of the season behind the plate for the Sun Devils giving Maddi Hackbarth on off day.

ASU began the game with a single from Taylor Becerra when the short stop Briana Perez stopped the ball from going any further past her but was unable to make the throw to first base.

Even with the help from the short stop the Sun Devils concluded the inning without any more hits.

Breanna Macha began her time in the circle strong with a strikeout. However, Perez redeemed herself by hitting a home run into centerfield to give the Bruins their first lead of the series.

In the second inning Madeline Jelenicki hit what looked to be base hit to right field, but Kindra Hackbarth made a diving catch to give the Sun Devils their second out.

For the next three innings Macha and Perez would take turns entering the circle with the batter’s making contact with their pitches, but the closest anyone made it to scoring was standing on second base.

DeNae Chatman broke the lead in the fifth inning with a solo home run to centerfield that ended up in the forest behind Easton Stadium. Her game tying home run became her sixth of the season.

“She’s been phenomenal,” said Ford. “We talked about her opportunities, she’s had opportunities all year long and she’s done a great job of making adjustments and we always tell her one time a game she needs to be on time and she’s been consistent of being one time a game.”

M. Hackbarth relieved Maston of her duties to begin the sixth inning. However, the 1-1 tie didn’t last long when the Bruins broke the game wide open in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The downhill started when Perez hit a single to right field. Aaliyah Jordan stepped into the batter’s box and changed the game when she hit a home run to the scoreboard to give the Bruins a 3-1 lead.

With one out, Bubba Nickles hit a single that knocked the glove of Taylor Becerra giving the Sun Devils the second error of the night. The second out of the inning could have happened when Becerra went to catch a foul ball, but instead dropped it.

Madeline Jelenicki took advantage of it on the next pitch when she hit a double to centerfield allowing the runner to touch home making it a 4-1 game. Jelenicki scored the fifth and final run of the game when Taylor Pack hit a single into left field.

“I think tonight we had a bad inning, some things didn’t go our way and we didn’t play some good defense,” said Ford. “I thought Bree honestly threw really well tonight we had a couple missed pitches that they took advantage of and that’s what a good team is going to do.”

Macha faced a total of eight batters in the final inning. The Bruins entered the sixth with only two hits but walked away from the game with four more hits for a total of six on the night.

Three errors and mistakes haunted the Sun Devils and they weren’t able to muster any offense together.

With the UCLA win, Garcia marks her twentieth win this season for the Bruins.

“It’s us playing seven innings of playing great ball instead of five and a half, so tomorrow’s a great opportunity for us to come out,” said Ford. “I like our chances.”

The Sun Devils will come back Saturday afternoon after only losing their tenth game of the season.

“We’re excited to come out tomorrow because I don’t think they feel really comfortable with us, so I think if we come out and play our game it’s going to be a good day,” said Ford.