Lindsay Lopez allowed a single to Utah’s Haley Denning to start the game. She didn’t allow another base hit until the fifth inning. Lopez held Utah (12-15, 1-8 Pac-12) off the scoreboard until the seventh inning. She escaped a last-effort rally to secure the Pac-12 series for No. 14 Arizona State (21-9, 4-5) and the 3-1 win.
Lopez, who earned her eighth win of the season, retired 12 of the next 13 batters she faced following Denning’s single. Utah singled three times in the fifth inning, but Lopez struck out Alyssa Palacios to strand the runners.
The Utes didn’t go down easy.