The situation was almost exactly the same.
For the second year in a row, No. 6 UCLA (44-9, 18-4 Pac-12) had a Thursday-night game at No. 24 Arizona State (33-19, 11-10) with the Pac-12 title within reach. And for the second straight year, the Bruins needed a key hit in the final inning to maintain their position in the title race.
On May 8, 2014, it came down to then-junior pitcher and RBI leader Ally Carda, who came up to the plate with two outs, representing the go-ahead run. This year, it was sophomore shortstop Delaney Spaulding, UCLA’s current RBI leader, who was in the same exact position, representing the tying run with two outs.
But just like what happened nearly one year ago to the day, the Bruins’ leading run producer was unable to extend the game, flying out to center field. The Bruins’ 8-7 loss proved costly, as the Oregon Ducks won later on Thursday night to extend their Pac-12 lead to 2 games with two games left to play for both teams.
In the first two innings on Thursday, however, UCLA looked as if it may gain ground on Oregon. The Bruins jumped out to an early 3-0 lead behind a two-run home run from junior third baseman Mysha Sataraka and a sacrifice fly from Spaulding.
Sataraka was a part of the seven-eight-nine bottom of the order that gave the Sun Devils’ pitching staff fits. That trio combined for eight hits, two home runs and three RBIs.
“We were just coming in and trying to see the ball and hit the best we could. We were just trying to have our teammates’ back,” Sataraka said. “If they don’t get it done then we get it done and the person behind us will always get it done. That’s our mindset.”
However, the Sun Devils didn’t go down without a fight, exploding for a five-run third inning against Carda. Thursday’s game marked only the second time all season that Carda had given up five earned runs or more in a game which she started.
Arizona State’s scoring was not completed with a very high frequency, but rather in bursts. The Sun Devils were able to do all of their damage against Carda in the third and fifth innings as they scored five and three runs respectively.
“They attacked good pitches. I wouldn’t say it was anything more than that. We know that they are a quality team and they have a very offensive lineup.” said coach Kelly Inouye-Perez. “Today, Ally didn’t pair up well, and at the end of the day, I give them credit for being able to put a cut on balls in the strike zone.”
Freshman pitcher Johanna Grauer replaced Carda in the fifth inning, but was unable to bail out her teammate. Grauer threw two wild pitches that led to two runs for the Sun Devils, putting them ahead 8-5.
Unlike the Sun Devils, the Bruins scored consistently as opposed to in bursts. The Bruins hit lead-off home runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but were unable to build off that momentum. UCLA totaled 16 hits compared to Arizona State’s 10, but the difference in the game proved to be the timeliness of those hits.
“We’ll make adjustments tomorrow. We know we are seeing the ball well and we know that we can hit their pitchers.” said freshman utility player Maddy Jelenicki, who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. “It’s just a matter of timely hitting, and I have faith in us that tomorrow we will turn it around and make the adjustment.”
This loss ended the Bruins’ 13-game win streak, and may put the regular-season conference championship out of reach. But according to coach Inouye-Perez, that is something that has not been on the forefront of the players’ minds since they dropped two of three to Oregon last month.
“The minute we lost the series to Oregon and they have been staying neck and neck with us, they have been in the driver’s seat. For us, the Pac-12 title has not been something that has been the focus for us at all,” said coach Inouye-Perez. “We are looking to close out the Pac-12 (season strong), and it was not a good thing to drop the ball game today, but I love their fight. This team puts themselves in a position to win.”