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Long Ball Sparks Softball to Upset of No. 20 Cal

by thesundevils.com
Apr 27, 2024

TEMPE – Sun Devil softball mounted a late rally against No. 20 California to earn a 5-4 victory Saturday night at Farrington Stadium. Back-to-back home runs by Marissa Schuld and Audrey LeClair in the bottom of the seventh evened the series.

Arizona State (19-26, 3-17 Pac-12) took an early 2-1 lead after the first inning, but No. 20 Cal (32-15, 6-12 Pac-12) responded with two runs in the second frame, taking a 3-2 lead after two innings. The Golden Bears extended their advantage with another run in the fifth inning.

ASU trailed 4-2 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth when Kayla Lissy hit a home run to right center to cut the deficit to one. 

After Schuld held Cal scoreless with a perfect seventh inning in the circle, the graduate hit a leadoff pinch-hit home run to tie the game at 4-4, igniting the Farrington faithful. Moments later, LeClair picked the perfect time to hit her first home run of the year, a walk-off home run to right field, to secure the Sun Devils' 5-4 win. 

LeClair also doubled to start the game, her 12th multi-hit game of the season. Lissy also had a multi-hit game, driving in a pair of runs.

In the circle, Schuld held Cal to six hits in securing her fifth win of the season. She retired eight of the final ten batters she faced.

Arizona State will look to secure a series win over the Bears on Sunday. The first pitch is slated for noon at Farrington Stadium. Coverage can be seen on the ASU Live Stream.

NOTABLES

  • LeClair's walk-off was the third of the season for the Sun Devils.
  • LeClair became the 12th different Sun Devil to hit a home run this season.
  • Schuld's home run was the seventh from a pinch hitter this season for ASU.
  • LeClair and Schuld's back-to-back home runs are the second time ASU players have homered in consecutive at-bats this season.
  • Kelsey Hall singled in the first inning to extend her season-long hitting streak to six games.
  • The three home runs from the Sun Devils matched the season high done previously against New Mexico State on February 25.

QUOTABLES:
Arizona State Head Coach Megan Bartlett:
On Audrey LeClair and her hitting the walk-off home run:
"She does it a lot in practice, so the fans were certainly more shocked than we were. This is what I tell you about Audrey: she is an incredibly bought-in human. She competes. She's a resilient kid who doesn't give up, and that's why we got her back in the lineup. Certainly, my heart is not only happy for the ball club, but it literally couldn't happen to a better kid. She came home to be a Sun Devil."

On what tonight's win can do for the remainder of the schedule:
"I hope it starts to create some solid belief. We have delivered the message a lot this year that there have been a lot of injuries, and things just haven't fallen our way, but really, what we have on the field, if we take at-bats the right way, to be able to follow the pitch plan on the mound, we'll always have a shot to win. So hopefully, this gives us a boost and some confidence and some belief."

Arizona State Infielder Audrey LeClair:
On her first home run of the year being a walk-off:
"It feels pretty great. I feel like anyone in this position hates losing as much as we do. So it's nice to do that for my team. I fight for them every day, so to be able to show up like that for them is a really huge moment."

On battling back from behind:
"Truly, between me and Marissa (Schuld), we have a lot of fight within us, knowing that this is one of five games that we have left in our careers. All of us seniors are really fighting for each other, so I think the bat being in both of our hands was really poetic, and I think it was the right ending to the game."

Arizona State Pitcher Marissa Schuld:
On pitching tonight and if her coaches told her anything before hitting a home run:
"They just asked if I wanted to hit, and I said, 'Sure.' But I think the key for me is not thinking and not doing too much. I think I'm very disciplined at the plate, so I just try to see a good pitch and drive it."

On any emotions to her home run in the seventh frame:
"I just wanted to keep my team in the ball game and give us a chance to win."
 

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