Freshman shortstop Jazmarie Roberts went 3-for-3 and hit a go-ahead infield single in the bottom of the fifth inning, an inning in which the Sun Devils trailed by two at the start. Roberts’ hit proved to be the game’s decisive moment as the Sun Devils completed another come-from-behind victory, taking the nightcap 7-6 over Nevada (4-3).

“We’re not going to quit and we’re not going to give up until that last out,” Roberts said.

Roberts had three hits, including an RBI double to tie the game in the bottom of the third and the go-ahead single in the fifth.

“I’m in there for a reason,” Roberts said. “I know I trust myself and I know my coaches have trust in me, so I’m just focused on passing the bat.”

The Wolf Pack took control early, scoring four runs off junior pitcher Meikka Lauppe to take a 4-0 lead.

“Meikka’s (Lauppe) learned to move the ball really well, she’s just catching a little bit too middle,” head coach Megan Bartlett said.

Bartlett remains confident in Lauppe’s abilities to perform at a high level, and she said that we can expect to see her again tomorrow.

Lauppe left the game after 2.0 innings after giving up four runs and eight hits.

The ASU offense got three of those runs back in the bottom of the second after one big swing, as junior catcher Samantha Swan lifted a three-run home run off senior Hailey McLean, bringing the Sun Devils to within a run.

“She just packs a punch; she’s not this huge, physical kid,” Bartlett said. “When she’s not trying to do too much at the plate, she can leave the yard.”

I’m happy for Sammy because she’s such a good kid, works so hard, and she’s so good to her pitching staff, so to see her come up big in those moments is really cool.”

The pitching staff kept the Nevada bats in check after its first-inning outburst. Senior Aissa Silva pitched three solid innings in relief, but she surrendered two unearned runs in the fourth inning, which put ASU down 6-4 immediately after it erased a 4-0 deficit to tie the game.

However, the Sun Devils captured the lead in the fifth. After that, Bartlett turned to her ace, senior Kenzie Brown, to slam the door on the Wolf Pack for the final two innings.

Brown didn’t disappoint, pitching two perfect innings to seal the ASU’s 7-6 win.

This was a bounce back performance for Brown, who gave up six runs in her start Thursday against Indiana.

Bartlett said that even players the caliber of Brown have bad outings, but she had faith in Brown to rebound from her performance Thursday.

“What you saw tonight is 99% of the time what we get out of her, so she’s going to keep getting the ball in big moments,” Bartlett said.

Brown said the team’s offense makes it easier on the pitching staff with its high run production.

“It’s easy going in with a lead,” Brown said. “No matter what I was going to do, I knew the offense was going to pick me up.”

The offense picked up Brown when she struggled against Indiana Thursday, as ASU came from behind to win that game as well. 

Comebacks and scoring in bunches in the late innings have defined the Sun Devils’ season up to this point.

In addition to Thursday’s win against Indiana, ASU trailed 3-1 going into the bottom of the seventh in the final game of the Kajikawa Classic against Memphis, but rallied for the walk-off win.

The Sun Devils also put up a five-spot in the sixth inning in the late game Thursday to turn a close game against Portland State into a rout.

Over the course of the last four games, ASU has scored 47 total runs, 25 of which came in the fifth inning or later.