Arizona State softball falls late to Texas, faces do-or-die Game 3

The Texas Longhorns refused to die, rallying late with a pinch-hit, two-run homer to overcome Arizona State, 4-3, in Game 2 of the Austin Super Regional Saturday night, May 23.

The Sun Devils have one more shot to beat the Longhorns and earn a trip to the Women’s College World Series, which would mark their first trip back since 2018. Game time on Sunday was still listed as TBD Saturday evening.

Arizona State catcher Samantha Swan, a native of nearby Georgetown, Texas, hit a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning, but the Sun Devils were unable to hold the 3-2 lead.

Each coach had a tough decision before the action began.

Arizona State’s Megan Bartlett chose to start Meika Lauppe instead of sending her ace, Kenzie Brown, back to the circle after a powerful performance in the Sun Devils’ Game 1 win.

Texas’ Mike White, albeit in a different position with his team’s season on the line, sent out his ace, Teagan Kavan for a second consecutive day.

ASU struck first when Brooklyn Ulrich doubled in Katie Chester in the top of the second inning.

Kavan appeared to run out of gas in the third inning as Taylor Windle doubled to lead off, and Kaylee Pond singled.

White replaced Kavan with Citlaly Gutierrez, but Swan drove home Windle, giving ASU a 2-0 lead.

Lauppe was able to keep Texas off the scoreboard through four innings, though she put runners on first and second with nobody out in the third before inducing a flyout and an inning-ending double play.

An error by third baseman Emily Schepp on a Kaia Altmeyer ground ball leading off the Texas fifth ended the night for Lauppe, who was replaced by Brown.

The Longhorns touched up the ASU ace with a double by Katie Stewart to knock in Altmeyer, and a game-tying base hit by Reese Atwell to score Stewart, but Brown struck out Leighann Goode to prevent further damage.

An inning later, leading by a run after the Swan homer, Brown allowed a one-out single to Ashton Maloney, retired Altmeyer on a fly to left, but then served up the pinch-hit blast by Victoria Hunter.

Gutierrez shut down the Sun Devils in order in the sixth and seventh innings.

Swan had two of ASU’s six hits, and Brown allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits with five strikeouts over her three innings of relief.

(This story has been updated to add information.)