Feb. 24, 2001
COLUMBUS, Georgia - Senior Jenni Shideler hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first and the No. 9 Stanford softball team won its fourth straight game in a 6-4 win over Kansas in the NFCA Leadoff Classic on Saturday night at South Commons Stadium. It's the Cardinal's fourth win of the tournament and improves its record to 16-1 while the Jayhawks fall to 8-7. This was the first game of bracket play after Stanford won all three of its pool play games to earn the top seed for the Gold Championship bracket.
The Cardinal wasted no time getting on the scoreboard when Kira Ching's RBI double scored Robin Walker, who led off the first with a single. Right after Ching, Shideler hit a three-run home run, her first of the year. Her shot cleared the center field fence and drove in Ching and Beeson, who was intentionally walked, for a 4-0 Stanford lead at the end of one.
In the third inning, Stanford extended its lead to 6-0. Ching walked, Shideler singled, both runners stole second and Jessica Allister's sacrifice fly scored Ching. Cassi Brangham continued the rally with a single up the middle, which chased the Jayhawks' starting pitcher. Their reliever, Kelly Campbell, was greeted by Michelle Thiry's two-out RBI double, scoring Shideler.
The Jayhawks got on the board in the fourth inning, which for the Cardinal turned into a fielding disaster. Stanford committed three errors in the inning leading to two unearned runs for Kansas. The Jayhawks added solo runs in the fifth and sixth with leadoff doubles in both innings.
Dana Sorensen pitched the first four innings to earn the win, and came back into the game in the bottom of the sixth to finish the game. The win improves her record to 7-1. She finished with 10 strikeouts and two walks while allowing four hits and two runs, both unearned. Maureen LeCocq pitched 1 2/3 innings in the middle of the game, giving up two runs on three hits.
Walker was 3-for-4 while Ching, Shideler and Brangham all had two hits in the game. The Cardinal stranded nine runners on base. Stanford now has hit at least one home run in its last four games, and has nine in the tournament.
Stanford advances to the semifinal game of the Gold Championship bracket to face No. 19 South Carolina, a 3-2 winner over No. 10 Washington. The game is slated for 11:30 a.m. (EST). The championship game of the 24-team tournament is set for 2:00 p.m. (EST).
Score by Innings1234567R H E Kansas 00021104 7 0 #9 Stanford402000x6 10 3
WP - Dana Sorensen (7-1). LP - Kirsten Milhoan (3-4). Save - None. 2B - Kira Ching (STAN), Michelle Thiry (STAN), Christi Musser (KU), Leah Tabb (KU). 3B - None. HR - Jenni Shideler (STAN). E - Jenni Shideler (STAN), Robin Walker (STAN), Jessica Mendoza (STAN). LOB - Kansas 6, Stanford 9. Records: Kansas 8-7, Stanford 16-1.