TEMPE, Ariz. -- The No. 21/21 Arizona State softball team has been prone to giving up big innings at times this season and it came back to hurt them Saturday as No. 12/14 Cal rallied for a four-run seventh inning to defeat the Devils 6-5 in the second game of ASU's conference home opening series.
Nikki Girard and Bethany Kemp had solo shots in the game and Dale Ryndak pitched efficiently for six innings but the wheels came off a bit in the final frame as the Golden Bears erased a 4-2 deficit to take a 6-4 lead that ASU was unable to overcome in the bottom of the seventh.
Ryndak fell to 9-4 on the season and the Devils dropped to 21-10 overall and 2-2 in Pac-12 play. The Bears are now 23-5 and 2-3 in conference action.
ASU got on the board first as Girard knocked her second solo home run in as many weekends to lead off the bottom of the third inning and give ASU a 1-0 lead. An Abby Spiel hit and Sierra Rodriguez walk would lead to runners on the corners for Chelsea Gonzales with one out.
The sophomore was thrown out on the fielder's choice, but not before plating Spiel and giving the Devils a 2-0 lead.
Cal came charging back in the top of the fourth as Danielle Henderson took advantage of a ground out that was called back on the foul ball to hit her second solo shot in as many days and bring the Bears back within 2-1.
Three singles and an infield error loaded the bases and brought another across to tie the game at two after Cheyenne Cordes scored on a Gonzales error at short. But Ryndak settled in and stuck out Taurie Pogue and got Vanessa Alvarez to fly out to escape the inning with no further damage.
ASU would reclaim the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Spiel scored from third on an Amber Freeman sacrifice fly and the Devils added what they hoped to be some insurance with a Bethany Kemp solo shot in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.
The Bears responded in the top of the seventh with three straight singles and a walk to open the frame, tying the game on a Jazmyn Jackson single up the middle. Two batters later, Kobie Petties would bring two more across with a chopper over the pitcher and into center and the Bears took a 6-4 lead.
ASU rallied in the bottom of the inning, drawing a leadoff walk from Caporuscio and a single from Gonzales. A Freeman fly out moved Caporuscio to third and she would score on a Haley Steele hit following a Sashel Palacios pop out. With runners on first and second and two outs, Kemp popped up to short stop to end the game and hand Katie Sutherland-Finch the victory and improved her to 8-3 on the season.
