No. 22/21Arizona State Softball (19-4, 0-1 Big 12) dropped its Big 12 opener against Utah Utes (19-5, 1-0 Big 12), losing 9-5 in extra innings.
The Utes came in riding high on an eight-game win streak. Most recently, they picked up a dominant 18-0 win over Southern Utah.
As for the Maroon and Gold, it came into Saturday’s contest on its own six-game win streak after a nail-biting 2-1 win over CSU Bakersfield.
With both teams on hot streaks, something had to give.
And for the Sun Devils, their defense gave up a plethora of runs in a disastrous eighth inning.
To start the game, ASU brought out Arizona transfer, senior left-handed pitcher, Aissa Silva, who entered the circle coming off five days’ rest from almost pitching in a complete game against Bakersfield.
Silva had some trouble locating early on, surrendering three walks in the first two innings, forcing her to pitch with traffic on the basepaths. Still, she managed to escape the jams and kept the Utes scoreless early.
The Arizona State bats matched Utah’s foot traffic on the basepaths in the second inning, knocking in two runs. Junior infielder Katie Chester went yard on a solo shot. Meanwhile, senior infielder Brooklyn Ulrich picked up an RBI single to right field, scoring junior catcher Samantha Swan.
However, the home side’s bats went cold until the final stages of the game.
Silva kept the Sun Devils in the game for as long as she could, only allowing two runs in five innings of work. Out of the bullpen, the Maroon and Gold brought in junior right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe, who shut down Utah for the next two innings.
Arizona State couldn’t find its bearings late in the game and continued to go scoreless in the late stages. With both teams tied at two apiece, it meant extra innings.
The top of the eighth inning, began with a fielding error by freshman infielder Jazmarie Roberts, which set a precedent for the sloppy defensive frame that followed. After with back-to-back walks, the Sun Devils suddenly found themselves in a jam that they couldn’t get out of.
As Utah’s senior infielder, Hailee White smacked an RBI single to give Utah a 3-2 lead. However, the Utes weren’t done yet.
Ulrich found herself one-on-one with a sharp line drive that deflected off her glove and rolled into the ASU dugout, causing another run to come across.
The defensive woes continued for the Sun Devils as another error by Ulrich allowed the Utes to score another run. The inning continued to spiral from there. Ultimately, Utah walked away with seven runs, all of which were unearned, and led the Sun Devils 9-2.
“The left side had a rough one,” Bartlett said. “One or two mistakes happen, but you can’t let it turn into five.”
ASU tried its hardest to keep fighting in the bottom half of the frame with Chester, Swan, and Roberts picking up RBIs. However, the damage was done, and the Sun Devils walked away with their first loss since Feb. 21.
“Tough way to open a conference,” Bartlett said. “Hopefully, we get a better response and a different team tomorrow.”
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