UCLA
Arizona State
Sixth-Ranked Bruins Produce Four Homers, but Fall One Short at #23 ASU
May 08, 2015 | Softball
UCLA Softball Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
TEMPE, Ariz. - The sixth-ranked Bruins tied a season high with 16 hits, including a career-high four by freshman Kylee Perez, but UCLA saw its 13-game winning streak come to an end on Thursday with an 8-7 loss to #23 Arizona State at Farrington Stadium.
The Bruins, who also equaled a season best with four homers, fall to 44-9 overall and 18-4 in Pac-12 play, while the Sun Devils improve to 33-19 and 11-10 in league action.
Senior Gracie Goulder, juniors Allexis Bennett and Mysha Sataraka, sophomore Gabrielle Maurice and freshman Maddy Jelenicki all posted two hits, as eight of the nine starters produced at least one.
Senior Ally Carda (25-5) struck out two in four innings, giving up eight runs (six earned), 10 hits and three walks. Freshman Johanna Grauer tossed two scoreless frames of relief, allowing only two baserunners on a pair of walks.
The Bruins got on the board first with three in the second inning. With one out, Maurice doubled to right-center, moved to third on a wild pitch and came home when Sataraka crushed a ball out to left for her fourth homer of the season to make it 2-0. Goulder followed with a bunt single, moved to third on a single to left-center by Perez and scored on a sacrifice fly to right from sophomore Delaney Spaulding to give UCLA a third run.
Arizona State took the lead with five in the third on a three-run homer by Haley Steele, an RBI double by Nikki Girard and a run-scoring wild pitch to take a 5-3 edge.
In the fourth, the Bruins got back to within one, loading the bases to start the inning on singles by Sataraka, Goulder and Perez. Two outs later, Carda drew a walk to force in Sataraka to make it 5-4.
An inning later, UCLA equaled the score, as Jelenicki rocketed the first pitch of the fifth over the wall in straightaway center to make it 5-all. It was her fifth homer of the season.
The Sun Devils rallied with three in their half of the fifth on an RBI single by Elizabeth Caporuscio and a pair of run-scoring passed balls to make it 8-5.
In the sixth, Perez led off the inning with her third hit of the game, her fourth homer of the season to right-center to get the Bruins back to within two at 8-6.
The Bruins' fourth homer of the game led off the seventh, as Maurice took one out to right, her sixth of the season, to make it 8-7, but UCLA ended up falling one short.
The Bruins and the Sun Devils continue their three-game series on Friday at 6 p.m. The game will air live on Pac-12 Networks.
