Down 9-1 after 2 innings, Sun Devils rally for the win on Soria’s 3-run, walk-off homer
Senior night could not have gotten off to a worse start for the No. 24 Arizona State softball team.
The Sun Devils found themselves trailing No. 6 UCLA by eight runs after just two innings.
However, outfielder Jennifer Soria gave the seniors a tremendous farewell as she hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to cap off an 11-10 come-from-behind victory.
“I was calm. I knew that there were two outs and the runs were on,” Soria said. “I just knew that I had to get in there and stick to my plan and execute.”
Coincidentally, Soria was the catalyst for the Sun Devils’ comeback after the team was trailing 9-1. Soria hit her first home run of the game to left-center in the third inning. The Sun Devils tacked on four more runs in the inning to make it a 9-6 game.
“The biggest thing is just the character of this ball club to just keep compet- ing,” coach Craig Nicholson said. “We get down 9-1 going into the third. How easy is it to just fold your tent right there and just say, ‘Hey we’re not good enough tonight’? We battled.”
Pitcher Dale Ryndak got the start for ASU, but after allowing nine runs she was replaced by Alexis Cooper, who pitched 51⁄3 innings and allowed one run.
“Alexis Cooper gave us a chance to win that ball game. When it was all said and done, whatever we did offensively, she gave us a chance to win,” Nicholson said.
Coming into the game, Cooper had only pitched a total of 24 innings. She finished with two strikeouts.
“Getting a mixture of ground outs and pop ups, especially working in on their hands and using my rise ball really helped,” Cooper said. “It was nice because there wasn’t any pressure going in with eight runs. You just need to go out there, do your job, and throw strikes.
In the fifth inning, the Sun Devils made it a one-run game. Second baseman Nikki Girard hit a two-run shot to left field to pull within 9-8.
The Bruins countered with a home run of their own in the top of the sixth. Left fielder Gabrielle Maurice hit a solo homer to center. The Bruins held on to the 10-8 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Bruins pitcher Ally Carda was able to get two quick outs, but she also walked designated player Sashel Palacios and Girard. This brought Soria up to bat. Carda’s first pitch was outside, and her second pitch was hit just over the left-field fence for the walk-off homer.
“We’ve talked all year long about playing our best softball at the end. Against a really good UCLA team, we just won two out of three. Obviously tonight, it was in extremely dramatic fashion, but maybe we’re peaking at the right time,” Nicholson said.
The NCAA Selection Show will be at 7 p.m. today on ESPNU. ASU will likely be on the road for regionals.
“We’ll figure out where we’re going, make travel plans, and do some scouting quickly on whoever is in our regional and go from there. That’s the plan moving forward,” Nicholson said.