Feb. 18, 2000
POWAY, Calif. -- No. 21 Stanford rebouded from its first loss of the season to post its first shutout of the year, beating Tennessee 9-0 in five innings at the Campbell/Cartier Classic Friday afternoon at Sportsplex USA. Stanford came back Friday night to beat Arkansas 8-2. The Cardinal improves to 9-1 on the season while Tennessee falls to 3-4 and Arkansas to 4-7.
In the first game of the day, against the Lady Vols, the Cardinal got three runs in the first and four in the second to take control of the game. Stanford freshman Dana Sorensen (San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch HS), pitching only two miles from her house, gave up two singles in two innings as the starter. Freshman Tori Nyberg (Belmont, CA/Carlmont HS) returned from a rib injury to make her first appearance of the year, starting the third. Nyberg (1-0) struck out five and gave up only one hit in her three innings as the two combined on the five-inning shutout. Only four runners reached base, and only one reached second.
The Cardinal got a bases-loaded walk from freshman Maureen LeCocq (Woodland Hills, CA/Chaminade Prep), a single from freshman Cassi Brangham (Clovis, CA/Clovis HS) and a sacrifice fly from junior Jenni Shideler (San Jose, CA/Leland HS) in the first. Sophomore Robin Walker (La Palma, CA/Mater Dei HS) had an RBI single, sophomore Sarah Beeson (Tucson, AZ/Canyon del Oro HS) had a two-run single and senior Lauren Gellman (Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) had an RBI single in the second. Brangham's sacrifice fly in the fourth scored junior Sarah Barnum (San Marino, CA/Polytechnic HS). Barnum was running for Beeson, who had led off the inning with a double. Sophomore Jessica Mendoza (Camarillo, CA/Camarillo HS) finished the scoring with an RBI double to left in the fifth. She drove in senior Kellie Wiginton (Fresno, CA/Bullard HS), who scored three runs on the game.
Three hours later the Cardinal met Arkansas, which was playing its third game of the day. Once again, Stanford's bats were hot early. With five first-inning runs against the Lady 'Backs, the Cardinal has now scored 27 runs in the first innings of its 10 games this season. Walker singled to left-center with one out, then Mendoza was hit by a pitch. Beeson reached when her towering pop-up was dropped by the second baseman, then LeCocq hit a two-run single. After the second out Shideler walked, then Gellman and junior Ramona Shelburne (West Hills, CA/El Camino Real HS) hit consecutive RBI singles. Walker singled to lead off the second, then Mendoza and Beeson walked. Brangham then grounded to the pitcher, who threw home for a force out, but the relay throw to first for a double play bounced off the first baseman's glove and Brangham, allowing Mendoza to come home. Shideler then drove in Beeson by legging out an infield single deep in the hole to short.
The Lady 'Backs scored in the bottom of the second on a walk, a hit and a pair of errors, but Stanford answered right back in the top of the third. Wiginton ripped a single and advanced to second when the ball skipped through the center fielder's legs. Walker then laced a single to left to score Wiginton and make it 8-1. Arkansas got back a run in the bottom of the third with a bunt single and a double down the left-field line. Freshman Jaime Forman-Lau (San Jose, CA/Archbishop Mitty HS) gave up two runs in four innings to get the win. Forman-Lau (3-0) struck out eight batters, a season-high. Nyberg pitched three scoreless innings for her first save of the season. Arkansas senior Tammy Kincaid struck out 11 Cardinal batters after relieving Jennifer Bottoms (1-1) with two out in the first.
Stanford returns to action at the Campbell/Cartier Tournament Saturday, meeting No. 15 Long Beach State at 3:30 and host San Diego State Saturday at 6:00. The tournament concludes Sunday as the Cardinal meets Cal State Northridge at 2:30.