ASU Softball: Sun Devils demolished by Ducks; drop series
By Carson Field
ASU softball has now lost three of its last five games after a 31-4 start to the season, and Saturday’s defeat clinched a series loss against No. 3 Oregon.
After dropping the first game of the series against Oregon last night, the Sun Devils were once again on the losing end Saturday in a 9-1 loss.
“I think we fought a little bit better today, we just didn’t fight hard enough,” ASU head coach Trisha Ford said. “They’re hitting our mistakes and we’re not hitting their mistakes.”
Neither team scored in the first inning, but the Ducks were quick to end the drought in the second inning. Home runs by Gwen Svekis and Lauren Lindvall contributed to a quick 3-0 Oregon lead that they would not give up.
The runs snowballed on the Sun Devils, as Oregon hit five more home runs after the second inning. The home runs were six of the Ducks’ 13 hits in the game.
“We got to keep the ball in the park,” Ford said. “They’re hitting our mistakes and we’re not hitting their mistakes.”
On the other hand, Arizona State struggled mightily at the plate.
The Sun Devils only recorded four hits throughout the game, and only one of ASU’s five base runners made it to scoring position.
The lone run, however, came off a DeNae Chatman solo home run, her second of the season.
“I was really excited,” Chatman said. “We’ve been working really hard this week on having a plan with our at-bats and sticking to it, so it was nice to see it pay off.”
In addition to struggles at the plate, ASU couldn’t find its groove in the circle.
Breanna Macha pitched 4.1 innings and struggled in her outing. She allowed six earned runs off of eight hits, diminishing her record to 10-4.
Although six earned runs is a lot, Ford said she does not consider this a bad outing for Macha.
“It wasn’t bad,” Ford said. “I think she made some really good pitches, and then she didn’t make some good pitches. It’s kind of the flow of the game, and you’re not going to throw a game in which everything is perfect.”
In relief, Dale Ryndak came into the game in the fifth inning. Ryndak also struggled, allowing three earned runs and five hits in less than three innings.
Aside from their batting and pitching struggles, the Sun Devils were pleased in how they played in the field. ASU did not commit an error, which was a large improvement from Friday when the Sun Devils committed three.
“That’s great positivity to take from this,” Macha said. “We’ve been really working hard with our defense, and I just think when we put everything together we can beat a top-three team.”
While tonight’s win clinched the series for the Ducks, ASU will look to avoid the sweep Sunday.
Next: ASU Softball: Errors, home runs carry Oregon to 5-0 win in opener
“It’s just gut-check day tomorrow,” junior Taylor Becerra said. “We can either come in and let them sweep us at home, or we can go kicking and scratching and fighting or whatever we can to get a win.”
All quotes in this article were obtained firsthand by Devils in Detail unless otherwise noted.