Three solo home runs off the bats of Jazmyn Rollin, Sara Kinch, and Jordyn VanHook was all the offense Arizona State (21-18, 5-11 Pac-12) could manage in the series opener with the Bruins (41-4, 16-3 Pac-12). UCLA scored in four of their six innings at the plate for a seventh straight win over the Sun Devils in Westwood.
Mac Osborne went four innings in the circle to start for ASU and allowed four runs with two strikeouts. Kenzie Brown allowed three runs in her one-plus innings, while Deborah Jonesrecorded three outs without allowing a hit.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Rollin got the Sun Devils on the board early with a two-out solo home run to left in the top of the first inning.
UCLA countered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second behind two singles, a stolen base, and a wild pitch.
The Bruins threatened with two more singles in the bottom of the second before Kinch threw out a potential base stealer, and Osborne forced a lineout to end the inning.
Osborne worked out of another jam in the third by holding the Bruins to just one run despite UCLA starting the frame with runners on second and third with nobody out.
VanHook walked, and Makenna Harper singled in the ASU fourth, but UCLA kept the Devils off the scoreboard.
A solo home run with two outs in the Bruin fourth extended the UCLA lead to 4-1.
Kinch cut the deficit to 4-2 with a solo home run leading off the fifth inning.
After the first three hitters of the UCLA fifth reached, Brown tallied two strikeouts before a three-run double opened the ASU deficit to 7-2.
The long ball played its part for the Sun Devils again in the sixth inning when VanHook sent one over the wall in left-center to extend her lead in the Pac-12.
ASU made it interesting in the seventh with a double from Shannon Cunningham and a walk by Jazmine Hill to set up a drive to the wall from Yanni Acuña that was caught to end the game.
UP NEXT
ASU and UCLA will play game two of this series on Saturday at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Josh Fisher
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