Sun Devils drop series finale to Baylor 12-3

(Photo credit: Madison Sorenson/WCSN)

TEMPE — As the Sun Devils walked off the field following their loss to Baylor on Saturday, the energy was low throughout Farrington Stadium.

After losing the first two games of the series, Baylor rebounded on the Devils’ senior day and drubbed ASU by a score of 12-3. Even more impressive for the Bears was the 18 hits they compiled in just six innings.

“It is hard to win on [Saturday],” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “You can win two really great ball games, and unfortunately, these things happen sometimes.”

After the Sun Devils shut Baylor out in game one of the series, the Bears only mustered five hits and two runs in game two. Sunday, their offense came alive to avoid the sweep.

Every spot in the lineup for Baylor got a hit, but the most impressive performers for Baylor included senior infielder Presleigh Pilon, junior outfielder Brooklyn Carter and senior catcher Turiya Coleman.

Pilon had a particularly monstrous day with four hits and scored four times, while Carter and Coleman each tallied three hits.

The ASU pitching, which had only given up two runs in the previous two games against Baylor, looked fatigued in game three. Right-handed sophomore Meikka Lauppe got her second straight start and only gave up one run before right-handed senior Kenzie Brown entered the game.

Brown threw a complete game shutout in game one, then closed things out in game two, getting the last six outs Friday to clinch the series. However, Saturday, she looked tired, and the Baylor hitters seemed to solve the puzzle that few teams have solved in 2025.

“That’s now the third day they have seen our pitchers in a row,” Bartlett said. “The good news is they get to sleep a lot between now and when we head off to Lubbock, so we will have them rested and ready to go.”

Brown has been one of the best pitchers in the country this year, but after pitching three straight days, she gave up two earned runs in 1.2 innings pitched.

The biggest moment of the game came in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, two outs, and the game tied at three, Brown just needed one out to escape the jam and get out of the inning unscathed.

It looked like that would happen after she induced a ground ball out of Coleman to freshman infielder Grace Molitor. That is, until the ball bounced through Molitor’s legs and into the left center field gap, scoring all three base runners. Coleman later came around to score, making the score 7-3 Bears in the fourth.

“She is better than that,” Bartlett said. “Kenzie did a beautiful job, really, threw a changeup and got us out of the inning. [Grace] is young, and the game just got too fast there. But she is a talented defender, so at some point, the game’s gonna have to slow down first and figure it out.”

Molitor got the start at third base in Saturday’s game with freshman infielder Takyla Davis sidelined with an injury. Bartlett had no comment regarding Davis’ injury. Davis was seen with her right arm in a sling.

After that inning, the air seemed to be sucked out of the stadium and dugout as the Sun Devils were shutout offensivey the rest of the day and the Baylor offense continued to cruise.

Now the Sun Devils will hope to bounce back in their final series of the season. ASU will hit the road and head to Lubbock, where they will take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sun Devils will look to finish their regular season strong in that series before the Big 12 Conference tournament in a couple of weeks.

“We will have some nice time to rest, and then of course get properly prepared,” Bartlett said. “We are certainly going to need all of the time we can get, but we will have a few good days of practice before we head to Lubbock.”