(Photo: Alli Cline/WCSN)
The Arizona State softball team has championship aspirations for 2015 as always, but learned this weekend how hard it will be to bring home the program’s fifth national title.
The Sun Devils (27-15, 5-6) were unable to salvage the final game of a three-game series against the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (35-5, 13-2) in Eugene, losing by the score of 4-3.
Coming off a six-inning 12-3 loss on Saturday, the Sun Devils put up a much better fight on Sunday, scoring their three runs in the final two innings and making the Ducks work for every out down the stretch.
Despite the push from the Devils, they could not overcome the four-run lead that Oregon grabbed within the first two innings.
The power surge for ASU continued as sophomore shortstop Chelsea Gonzales belted a two-run home run in the sixth, her ninth, and senior first baseman Bethany Kemp pulled ASU to within one in the seventh inning with her 11th of the season.
Despite the hard-fought battle on Sunday, ASU finished the series outscored by a margin of 23-7 over the three games.
Freshman starting pitcher Breanna Macha suffered her second loss of the series, giving up four runs, four hits and seven walks over six innings pitched.
Her record dropped to 12-8, after she gave up 10 runs in 10 1/3 innings in her two starts this weekend.
Ducks starter Cheridan Hawkins continued her excellence this season as she hurled seven innings while giving up three runs, moving her record to a sparkling 18-3.
The Sun Devils’ strong play in the non-conference schedule this season still has them in a good position record wise, as they will hold position at fifth in the Pac-12 standings.
ASU will look to rebound next weekend as they return home for a three-game series against the team with the second-worst Pac-12 record, the Oregon State Beavers.
Including next weekend, ASU has only four series remaining until postseason, three of which will be played at home, with a weekend trip to Stanford coming on May 1-3.
