EUGENE, Ore. -- A late rally came up just short and the No. 19 Arizona State softball team dropped a tough 4-3 decision in the final game of the series against No. 2 Oregon on Sunday afternoon.
Chelsea Gonzales knocked a two-run bomb in the sixth inning and Bethany Kemp followed that with a solo shot in the seventh to help ASU (27-15, 5-6 Pac-12) climb back from a 4-0 deficit and make it a 4-3 ball game with no outs in the final frame.
But it was Oregon's All-American ace Cheridan Hawkins who answered the call, putting down ASU's next three batters to hold off the Sun Devil surge and give Oregon (35-5, 13-2 Pac-12) its first series sweep over the Sun Devils since 1989.
ASU starting pitcher Breanna Macha settled down after a shaky first two innings, finishing the game with six innings pitched, allowing four runs or four hits with six strikeouts.
Macha shut down the potent Oregon offense in the final four frames of the game, however, holding Oregon to just two hits with four strikeouts and a single walk.
The gutsy effort was not quite enough, however, and the freshman dropped to 12-8 on the season. Hawkins took the win for Oregon, improving to 18-3 on the year.
Oregon put up a two-spot in each of the first two innings, capitalizing on four Macha walks in the first inning to go along with a sacrifice fly to get on the board first with a 2-0 advantage.
Lauren Lindvall opened the second inning with a solo home run and Alyssa Gillespie scored on a Jenna Lilley sac fly in the frame and that would be the extent of the Oregon offense.
The Devils finally got on the board in the top of the seventh, getting a hold of Hawkins for the first time all weekend as Nikki Girard â batting in the two-hole for the first time this season â knocked a one-out double to set the table for Gonzales.
Gonzales fouled off back-to-back pitches before getting a good turn on one, sending a two-run shot to dead center for the first runs of the weekend against Hawkins and bringing ASU back within 4-2.
Kemp led off the seventh inning with a knock to opposite right field, cutting the Oregon advantage to one run before Hawkins retired the next three batters.
