UCLA
Arizona State
Sixth-Ranked Bruins Stay Homer Happy With Five in Win at #23 ASU
May 09, 2015 | Softball
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TEMPE, Ariz. - A night after the sixth-ranked Bruins tied a season high with four home runs, they broke that mark with five long balls on Friday, including two from sophomore Delaney Spaulding, as UCLA defeated #23 Arizona State 11-5 at Farrington Stadium.
The Bruins improve to 45-9 overall and 19-4 in Pac-12 play, while the Sun Devils fall to 33-20 and 11-11 in league.
Spaulding went 3-for-3 with four RBI in the second two-homer game of her career, while freshman Kylee Perez added three hits after producing four on Thursday night. Eight of the Bruins' nine starters posted a hit, as UCLA had 14 as a team. Senior Gracie Goulder and sophomore Gabrielle Maurice also added two-hit contests.
In the circle, senior Ally Carda improved to 26-5 on the year, striking out four in five innings and giving up two runs (one earned), four hits and one walk. She had 1-2-3 frames in the second and third. Freshman Selina Ta'amilo tossed two frames of relief, allowing three runs, four hits and three walks.
The Bruins led off the game with a solo homer, as Spaulding connected on her 16th of the season to right to put the visitors up.
Arizona State equaled the score in the bottom of the first on an unearned run, as Perez dropped a two-out pop up in right to allow Sierra Rodriguez to cross the plate.
UCLA added two more solo homers in the second and third. Maurice went opposite field to left for her seventh of the year to make it 2-1. One inning later, Spaulding again knocked one out to right for her second of the game and 17th of the season to increase the Bruins' lead to 3-1.
The solo homers continued in the bottom of the fourth, as Amber Freeman led off with a shot to center to cut their deficit to 3-2.
The Bruins broke it open with five in the fifth. Goulder led off with a single up the middle, stole second and moved to third on a Perez single. Spaulding followed with a sacrifice fly to right to bring in Goulder to make it 4-2. One out later, Carda walked to put two on for senior Stephany LaRosa, who belted a three-run homer to left, her 14th of the season, to up the lead to 7-2. Freshman Maddy Jelenicki made it back-to-back jacks with a bomb to center, her sixth of the season, to increase the lead to 8-2.
Arizona State got two back in its half of the fifth on a two-run homer by Bethany Kemp to make it 8-4.
UCLA got a run back in the sixth. Perez led off with a single and Spaulding moved her over with a sacrifice, and when the throw by ASU pitcher Dale Ryndak went down the right-field line, Perez came all the way around to score to put the Bruins up 9-4.
In the seventh, Jelenicki led off with a walk and was pinch-run for by senior Sam Duran, who moved to second on a ground out and scored one out later on a single to left by Goulder. After a bunt single by Perez, Spaulding doubled down the right-field line to plate Goulder to make it 11-4.
The Sun Devils tacked on a run in the fifth on a homer by Chelsea Gonzales, but the Bruins held on for the 11-5 victory.
The Bruins and the Sun Devils conclude their three-game series on Saturday at 5 p.m. The contest will be aired live on Pac-12 Networks.
