LAWRENCE, Kan. — No. 20 Arizona State (29-11 overall, 4-8 Big 12) lost its second-straight Big 12 road series over the weekend, as Kansas (27-11 overall, 8-4 Big 12) took two out of three games from the Sun Devils in Lawrence.
Just like in ASU’s previous conference road trip at Arizona, Coach Megan Bartlett’s side opened the series with a victory but then suffered two consecutive defeats. The Sun Devils defeated the Jayhawks 8-5 on Thursday afternoon, only for the hosts to respond hours later with an 11-7 victory, clinching the series on Saturday with a narrow 5-4 win.
Kansas took an early lead in the first game, but ASU quickly found four runs in the fourth inning after RBI’s from a trio of infielders: junior Ryan Brown, senior Brooklyn Ulrich and freshman Avery Motroni, with senior outfielder Kaylee Pond adding another. However, the Jayhawks responded by four runs of their own, giving themselves a 5-4 advantage.
Ulrich added another run in the following inning, then Sparky retook the lead after junior infielder Katie Chester’s single into left center, posting a one-run RBI. Pond and Ulrich added the final touches while senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown recorded the save in the circle to secure the victory for the Sun Devils.
In the second game, however, the tide turned in the opposite direction.
After trailing early, Kansas posted seven unanswered runs to take a commanding 7-1 lead over ASU by the second inning. A three-run home run by junior utility Anna Soles forced Bartlett to pull starting senior left-handed pitcher Aissa Silva for junior right-handed pitcher Meika Lauppe. Kansas added an additional two runs in the fourth inning off a two-run homer by freshman catcher Ella Boyer.
A three-run home run by Chester in the fifth inning — her 15th homer of the season — cut the deficit to four runs and gave the Sun Devils life. However, the Jayhawks held onto their lead to win 11-7 and level the series going into Saturday.
The host’s momentum carried on into the series finale: a two-run home run by Boyer gave the Jayhawks an early lead, only for ASU to respond with two runs sparked by junior catcher Samantha Swan’s double.
Kansas retook a three-run lead in the third inning following a two-run homer by senior infielder Campbell Bagshaw. The Sun Devils applied late pressure after Swan and Motroni registered singles to cut the lead to one score. But their late rally wasn’t enough as the Jayhawks survived 5-4. ASU left four runners on base in the final three innings.
The two losses this weekend put Bartlett’s team in eighth place in the Big 12 standings, two games behind last season’s record after playing 12 conference games.
ASU returns to Farrington Stadium for a non-conference midweek clash against UTEP on April 7 at 1 p.m. MST, before hosting a three-game series against UCF on the weekend.
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