March 3, 2001
ST. GEORGE, Utah - Junior Kira Ching went 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI as the No. 6 Stanford softball team defeated No. 17 Nebraska 6-4 on Saturday afternoon. It was the third win for Stanford in the Red Desert Classic, hosted by University of Utah at The Canyons. The Cardinal moves to 19-1-1, while the Cornhuskers fall to 9-8.
Ching gave the Cardinal a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first when she crushed her first home run of the year. Jessica Mendoza and Sarah Beeson both drew walks before Ching cleared the 200-foot left field fence.
In the third inning, Stanford put up another three-spot, thanks to an RBI-double from Beeson and Ching's second home run of the game. Mendoza reached on an error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Beeson found the left center field gap for her team-high seventh double of the year, which chased Nebraksa's starting pitcher Leigh Ann Walker. Ching then greeted reliever Peaches James with a shot to left center for a 6-0 Cardinal lead.
Dana Sorensen held the Huskers scoreless for 5 2/3 innings before Amber Burgess connected for a two-run homer to right center. It was only the second time this year that Sorensen had been scored on. She gave up two runs on three hits while striking out eight and walking two in 6 1/3 innings of work. Tori Nyberg relieved Sorensen in the seventh and gave up two runs on three hits but Sorensen returned for the final out of the game.
The Cardinal, now 3-0 in the tournament, continues play in the Red Desert Classic against the host team, Utah, at 6:00 p.m. (MST).
Score by Innings1234567R H E #17 Nebraska00000224 6 2 #6 Stanford303000x6 5 0
WP - Dana Sorensen (9-1) and Jessica Allister. LP - Leigh Ann Walker (3-4) and Amber Burgess. Save - None. 2B - Sarah Beeson (STAN), Cindy Roethemeyer (UN). 3B - None. HR - Kira Ching (STAN) 2, Amber Burgess (UN). E - Amanda Buchholz (UN), Leigh Suhr (UN). LOB - Nebraska 3, Stanford 3. Records: Nebraska 9-8, Stanford 19-1-1.