Huskies Fall 5-4 After Wild Late Innings

Friday, March 26

Tempe, AZ

6:30 PM

University of Washington

22-3, 0

Arizona State

18-6, 0

Washington

Arizona State

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

March 26, 2021 | Softball

Box Score Box Score

TEMPE, Ariz. – A confusing sequence in the seventh led to the #6 Washington Huskies falling 5-4 to the #14 Arizona State Sun Devils. The Huskies are 22-3 overall and 2-1 in Pac-12 now after tonight's game.

Washington appeared to get an inning-ending double play as two Sun Devils ended up at third base at the same time, with Bates pursuing the runner fleeing back to second. The runner originally on third seemed to be out, only to come home to score the winning run as Washington attempted to complete the double play.

Morganne Flores and SilentRain Espinoza had two-hit days for Washington, with Flores managing a 13-pitch single in the seventh. Sis Bates had two RBI in the game, while Noelle Hee hit a solo home run. Washington had five hits with two outs as a team, scoring three of its four runs with two outs.

Gabbie Plain threw five innings but left with the game tied up. This was the first time in Plain's 14 starts this year that she has allowed multiple earned runs, but the senior still struck out six batters, bringing her nation-leading strikeout total to 171. Sarah Willis retired the first four batters she faced and seemed to get through a dangerous seventh inning unscathed before Arizona State was awarded the winning run.

T2 | Hee with her fifth bomb of the year!

UW 2
ASU 0#MightyAreTheWomen pic.twitter.com/VPVCC5SgYb
— Washington Softball (@UWSoftball) March 27, 2021

		SCORING
First Inning: Three consecutive two-out hits got the Dawgs on the board. It was Espinoza's single that scored Reynolds as the throw home from centerfield got away from the catcher and let Reynolds come in. Second Inning: Hee ripped a homer to right-center for a 2-0 lead that chased Arizona State's starter from the game. Fourth Inning: With two outs and the bases loaded, Bates bounced one right back up the middle, allowing two runs to score. ASU answered with two runs in the bottom half, making it 4-2. Fifth Inning: A two-run double to right-center by ASU tied the game up at 4-4. Seventh Inning: Two Arizona State runners ended up on third base at the same time. Bates tagged the lead runner for what seemed to be the first out. Bates then pursued the trail runner back toward second base, diving to tag her as well. The lead runner headed home and was ruled to still be in play, scoring the winning run.

		NOTES
Five of Hee's (1x1, HR, BB, HBP) seven hits have been home runs this year. Flores (2x4) has hit .474 over the last six games. Espinoza (2x3, RBI) had her seventh multi-hit game of the season. Bates (1x4, 2 RBI) has hit .500 with two outs this season. Sami Reynolds (1x4, R) extended her hitting streak to six games, hitting .444 in that time.

Washington and Arizona State match up again tomorrow, playing a doubleheader, with game one beginning at 2:00 pm. Both of those games will be streamed free via the Arizona State live stream.

Make sure to follow the Huskies on social media at @UWSoftball.