A late-game offensive outburst pushed the fifth-ranked Arizona State softball team to a 9-6 win over rival Arizona on Saturday in the second game of the weekend Territorial Cup series.
A two-RBI pinch-hit appearance by ASU's Nikole Afusia and Katelyn Boyd’s 14th home run of the season highlighted the back-and-forth battle, which saw pitcher Dallas Escobedo’s record improve to 12-2. Arizona pitcher Shelby Babcock took the loss and is now 8-5.
ASU capitalized on 10 walks by the UA bullpen, with seven of the nine runners who scored reaching base via walk.
The Wildcats (19-7, 0-2 Pac-12) got on the scoreboard early with a two-out, two-run homer in the first from Jessica Spigner. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth, when two fielding errors allowed two Arizona runners to score to make it 3-0.
The Sun Devils cut into the lead in the bottom of the frame on Haley Steele’s double to left field that scored both Kayla Ketchum and Elizabeth Caporuscio, making it 3-2.
ASU's bats stayed hot into the fifth, with a leadoff home run from Boyd tying the score at 3-3. The homer was the 57th of Boyd's career, putting her three shy of second place in the school's record books.
The Devils took the lead later in the frame when Alix Johnson wheeled home on a wild pitch after reaching on a walk. Afusia then pinch hit and tallied two RBIs with a single that brought in Caporuscio and Annie Lockwood. Afusia is now 4 for 5 in her last five pinch-hit appearances.
The Wildcats answered in the sixth with a three-run bomb from second baseman Kristen Arriola, tying the score at 6-all.
But ASU wasn't done. Lockwood responded in the bottom of the inning with a two-run single up the middle, bringing her career total RBI to 150 and giving the Devils an 8-6 lead. Johnson scored later in the inning on a groundout to make it 9-6.
Boyd finished 2 for 2 with two runs scored and one RBI, while Spigner went 2 for 4 at the plate for UA with two RBIs and two runs scored.
ASU will go for the three-game sweep Sunday at noon in a game that will be webcast live on FOXSportsArizona.com.
