TEMPE, Ariz. — The nightmare start to the Big 12 schedule continued for No. 21 Arizona State softball on Sunday, March 8.

Senior right-handed pitcher Kenzie Brown made her first appearance in 15 days; however, she struggled as Utah (21-5, 3-0 Big 12) jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Senior third baseman Kayla Lyon had a great day at the plate, including a leadoff home run to set the tone as the Utes cruised to an 11-6 win over the Sun Devils (19-6, 0-3 Big 12).

“We just couldn’t seem to get all three facets of the game rolling at the same time, and the reality is that happens once in a while,” head coach Megan Bartlett said. “It’s the human element of sport, they’re young people, and we just seemed to have a really off weekend.”

Brown made her long-awaited return to the circle, pitching for the first time since a complete game shutout of Michigan 15 days ago.

However, things didn’t go according to plan.

Brown only made it through an inning and surrendered seven earned runs, including two home runs.

Bartlett said Brown was dealing with an illness, and she wanted to give her All-American pitcher time before returning to the circle.

“That’s a very good hitting ballclub, and we kind of rushed her out onto the mound, and they made good on it quickly,” Bartlett said.

Despite the rough outing today, Bartlett expressed confidence that Brown will bounce back as the season goes along.

Lyon started the game with a bang for the Utes, launching a solo home run to lead off the game. She would go on to have a 3-for-4 day with three RBI.

Freshman right fielder Payton Crank, a Phoenix native, hit a two-run shot off Brown later in the inning and finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Despite the loss, the bats improved significantly for ASU compared to the first two games of the series.

The Sun Devils managed just two runs over 13 innings in the first two games, but they put six on the board in this game.

Bartlett said the plan at the plate didn’t change, but the team just executed better than it had in the previous two games.

“They just picked better pitches and executed a little bit better,” Bartlett said. “A lot of that is the headspace they’re in and how they’re talking to themselves.”

Senior center fielder Kaylee Pond, junior first baseman Katie Chester and junior catcher Samantha Swan all hit solo home runs for the Sun Devils.

In addition to the home run, Pond finished 3-for-3 at the plate with two RBI.

“I love KP, she’s one of those kids that I’d keep for 10 years if I could,” Bartlett said.

Sophomore right fielder Ashleigh Mejia singled in the third inning, extending her hitting streak to 11 games and her on-base streak to 22 games.

After Brown’s struggles, senior left-hander Aissa Silva pitched effectively in relief, allowing only two earned runs over five innings. 

The umpires called the game after six innings because it ran significantly longer than expected, a rare but not unheard-of rule in NCAA softball.

Following the three-game sweep at the hands of Utah, however, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Sun Devils, who have upcoming series against No. 12 Oklahoma State and No. 14 Arizona right around the corner.

With two tough opponents coming up, Bartlett said her pitchers need to limit the number of walks they give up going forward.

“We absolutely have to do a better job of attacking the zone; we can’t give away that many free bases,” Bartlett said.