(Photo: Michael Baron/WCSN)
Sweeping potential
The Sun Devils went into their third game against UCLA down 2-0 in the series that marks the end of the regular season.
The Bruins were the first to make their mark on the scoreboard but only managed one run in the first.
To start the second inning, Bruin freshman Bubba Nickles scored again after senior Delaney Spaulding hit ASU freshman pitcher Giselle Juarez.
UCLA junior Kylee Perez then hit a triple out to center field, which allowed Spalding to score and her to get on third base.
Sophomore Brianna Tautalafua carried this momentum further with a double that enabled Perez to make the score 4-0 in favor of the Bruins.
A devil of a comeback
The Sun Devils began the bottom of second with a bang as sophomore Fa Leilua hit her 13th home run of the season to make the score 4-1.
In her last regular season game, junior Margaret Stahm followed suit with another home run off of UCLA freshman pitcher Rachel Garcia, which sliced the Bruins’ lead in half.
A grisly offensive surge
At a score of 4-2 at the top of the third, junior pitcher Breanna Macha relived Juarez. She immediately gave up two doubles, one to Garcia and the other to senior Paige Halstead, who sent Garcia home to give UCLA another run.
ASU remained stuck at two runs for the latter half of the third and fourth inning told a similar story. Macha walked Spaulding, who was then propelled to second base by junior Kylee Perez.
Tautalafua popped huge hit up the middle of the field to send the two aforementioned runners as well as herself home to make the score 8-2.
Bring out the brooms
UCLA loaded the bases for Perez and she capitalized on this opportunity by getting her second homerun of the year with a grand slam.
This amounted to four more runs and a commanding 12-2 lead for the Bruins.
At the bottom of the fifth and the possibility of a game ending by means of the run rule, Stahm got her eighth home run of the year.
Despite this, UCLA did best the Sun Devils with a run rule to sweep the series with a final score of 12-3.
The Sun Devils, as well as the Bruins, will spend tomorrow watching the selection show to see who they will play in the postseason.
