ASU Softball: Sun Devils’ offensive struggles continue in series opener against Cal

(Photo via Nicole Mullen/WCSN)

Arizona State Softball came into Friday looking to get back into rhythm after losing five of its last seven. Despite a fast start and some fortuitous errors from California, the Sun Devils could not come away with the win.

The Sun Devils’ offense once again stalled, totaling two hits compared to the Golden Bears’ seven. The pitching from junior right-hander Haylei Archer was superior to ASU’s and ended up being the difference in a topsy-turvy 4-3 game.

ASU (17-9, 1-3) has been victim to slow starts lately, only scoring in the first three innings three times in its last seven matches. But graduate student outfielder Yannira Acuña took no time to get things going, hitting a leadoff home run into right field. It was only the second home run that Archer had given up all season. The Sun Devils were 10-0 when scoring in the first inning, and Acuña’s first home run in conference play looked to serve as a spark plug for the offense. But the Bears quickly snuffed out the Sun Devils’ momentum once they had their turn at the plate.

In the bottom of the first, junior infielder Tatum Anzaldo also recorded a leadoff hit, but hers was just a single. California immediately took advantage though, with senior catcher Makena Smith crushing a home run into left-center field to give her team the lead. ASU starter and junior righty Mac Osborne ended the inning despite two more batters getting on base, but the Sun Devils had already lost control of the game just as quickly as they gained it.

Fortunately for the Sun Devils, they didn’t have to rely on their offense to get back into the game thanks to a flurry of errors from California. To lead off the bottom of the third, junior infielder Kayla Lissy reached first base after junior infielder D’Asha Saiki fumbled a ground ball. She advanced to second and then third thanks to a wild pitch and a passed ball, respectively, and came in for the tying run when Saiki committed another error at second base.

And the errors only continued for the Bears. After graduate outfielder Makenna Harper singled into left field in the top of the fourth, she advanced to second due to another wild pitch. Then, Saiki, once again, failed to cleanly field a ground ball, allowing Harper to score. The Sun Devils suddenly regained the lead despite only recording one hit.

While California struggled, the Sun Devils played cleanly on the other side of the ball, keeping the Bears at bay. From the second inning to the fourth, they gave up only three singles and one walk while making zero errors. However, the Sun Devils’ defense began to break down in the fifth inning, and California took advantage just as they did in the first.

The Bears quickly got two runners on base from a walk, a stolen base, and a hit-by-pitch. Sophomore right-hander Kenzie Brown took over for Osborne as the pressure ramped up. She struck out two batters, but a passed ball loaded the bases for California. Then, freshman infielder Elon Butler hit a ball through the left side that barely escaped the outstretched hands of Lissy, plating two runners and giving Cal a 4-3 lead.

This time, the Bears would not give anything free to the Sun Devils, and they were forced to rely on themselves to try and climb out of this hole. However, Archer stifled any chances the Sun Devils had at scoring. In the last two innings, she recorded two strikeouts and two groundouts and forced a batter to ground into a double play.

This capped off a productive, complete game for Archer, as she totaled five strikeouts and gave up three walks and two hits. Comparatively, Osborne and Brown combined for seven strikeouts, but they also allowed seven hits and three walks. Despite the leadoff home run from Acuña and an erroneous couple of innings from California, the Sun Devils could not capitalize, and their struggles on offense continue to hamper them. ASU drops to 1-3 in conference play and now averages under four hits per game in its last eight outings.

The Sun Devils will have two more attempts against California in the series and, once again, will try to return to their early season form on offense.