TEMPE, Ariz. -- Despite a myriad exciting defensive plays and three home runs, the No. 24/23 Arizona State softball team was unable to overcome five long balls from No. 6/7 UCLA and dropped an 11-5 decision in game two of the series on Friday night in Tempe.
Delaney Spaulding had two home runs for the Bruins (45-9, 19-4 Pac-12) and Stephany LaRosa knocked a three-run bomb in the fifth that opened the game up for UCLA.
Amber Freeman, Bethany Kemp and Chelsea Gonzales all had home runs for ASU while Jennifer Soria made an incredible leaping grab in the top of the sixth to rob LaRosa of her second home run but the effort wasn't enough for the Devils.
Breanna Macha (16-11) took the loss for ASU (33-20, 11-11 Pac-12), allowing eight earned runs in five innings â including all five UCLA homers â while Dale Ryndak pitched two innings in relief, allowing two earned runs and striking out two.
Ally Carda improved to 26-5 on the season for the Bruins, pitching five innings with four strikeouts and just one earned run allowed.
The Bruins got on the scoreboard first, carrying over the hot leadoff hitting from Friday's game as Spaulding knocked her first hit of the series over the fence in opposite right field on the first at-bat of the game for an early 1-0 UCLA lead.
The Sun Devils were able to answer in the bottom half of the inning as UCLA right fielder Kylee Perez dropped a routine fly ball from Freeman that would have ended the inning and head's up base-running by Sierra Rodriguez would allow her to score on the play to make it a 1-1 ball game.
UCLA didn't take long to get back on top, as Gabrielle Maurice lit up Macha for the second solo home run of the game and the fifth in as many innings, putting the Bruins back up 2-1.
Spaulding made up for her hitless day yesterday, knocking her second solo shot of the day â again to opposite field â to make it a 3-1 Bruin advantage.
Freeman went yard for her 15th home run of the season to lead off the bottom of the fourth, taking Allexis Bennett for a ride to the wall and the National Player of the Year finalist just missed getting her glove on it to bring ASU back within 3-2.
UCLA opened it up in the top of the fifth however, lighting the Devils up for a five-spot in the inning that was keyed by LaRosa's two-out, three run shot and followed by a Maddy Jelnicki solo shot that put the visitors up 8-2.
Kemp kept up to snuff on her season-long home run contest with Freeman, lighting up Selina Ta'amilo for a two-run shot in the fifth to bring ASU back within 8-4.
UCLA tagged on another in the sixth and looked to add more but Soria put a stop to that with an incredible leaping grab to rob a potential two-run shot from LaRosa.
