TEMPE – A three-run second inning was the difference as Sun Devil Softball defeated Baylor 4-2 on Friday night. The victory clinched the final regular season home series for Arizona State.
ASU (33-15, 13-7 Big 12) was in a 2-0 hole after Baylor (21-23, 7-10) scored twice in the top of the first. The Sun Devils erased that deficit in the second, starting when Ashleigh Mejia smashed a solo homer to start the frame. Ayden Allen followed with a walk before Kelsey Hall blasted the first pitch she saw over the wall to give the Sun Devils a 3-2 lead.
After the rough first inning, Meika Lauppe settled in and took over in the circle. She retired 12 straight hitters from the end of the first inning into the fifth inning. When Baylor put two on in the fifth, she again forced a groundout to end any scoring threats the Bears had.
Lauppe earned her ninth win of the season by holding Baylor to two runs (one earned) on three hits in five innings. She added three strikeouts and didn’t walk any.
The Sun Devils added an insurance run in the sixth. Allen singled to right and reached second on an error. Grace Molitor came on as a pinch runner and scored from second on a single into the gap by Hall.
Kenzie Brown closed out the win by working the final two innings for ASU. She allowed a pair of hits, but struck out four to notch her fourth save of the season.
Hall’s two hits led the Sun Devils. She also picked up a pair of stolen…
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