ASU softball looked to retaliate after last night's walk off in game three of the series against the California Bears.
A home run from senior center fielder Jennifer Soria helped kickstart ASU's offense in the first inning.
Soria has been hot all weekend, hitting in four home runs in the series against the Bears. She now has 10 on the season.
The Sun Devils loaded the bases and increased the lead to 3-0 in the first inning, prompting an early Cal pitching change. The lead continued to stretch in the second inning after back-to-back singles from freshman third baseman Taylor Becerra and senior left fielder Abby Spiel.
Soria and sophomore right fielder Nichole Chilson each picked up an RBI in the inning, pushing the lead to 5-0.
For the second series in a row, redshirt junior pitcher Kelsey Kessler pitched in all three games. She threw a scoreless game through four innings before giving up a run in the bottom of the fifth.
With Kessler's dominant pitching, the Sun Devils were to take advantage of the Bears.
Freshman first baseman Ulufa Leilua hit a home run in the fifth inning, her second of the series and sixth of the season. Head coach Robert Wagner has previously said that he's looking for production at the plate in the third base battle between Leilua and Margaret Stahm. In addition to six home runs, Leilua is hitting .403 and has a .758 slugging percentage, both second-best on the team.
Stahm is hitting .238 with one home run.
ASU increased its lead to 9-1 in the sixth inning and a diving catch by Soria ended the game in the bottom half. This win increased ASU's overall record to 27-10 and balanced out their Pac-12 record to 3-3.
The Sun Devils will travel back home for their next series as they take on the Washington Huskies on April 8 in Tempe.
Reach the reporter at lmbrunet@asu.edu or follow @Leah_brunette on Twitter.
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