March 1, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - The 11th-ranked Stanford softball team had a tough afternoon in the second day of the Stanford Classic at the Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium, falling to No. 21 Texas A&M (7-3) and No. 12 Georgia (2-0). The Cardinal stand at 13-6 overall and will take on Long Beach State at 10 a.m. tomorrow in the third place game.
Stanford jumped on the board early against the Aggies when Jessica Allister (Nacogdoches, TX) grounded out to the second baseman, scoring Lauren Lappin (Anaheim, CA) who was hit by a pitch to start the game. The Cardinal held a 1-0 lead after one inning of play.
The Cardinal added another run in the third to go up 2-0. Lappin drew a one-out walk and advanced to second on a throwing error by the Texas A&M catcher. Catalina Morris (Sonoita, AZ) delivered a base hit to right field, scoring Lappin.
Texas A&M exploded for five runs in the sixth inning, led by a grand slam by starting pitcher Lindsay Wilhelmson, to hold a 5-2 advantage. Allister answered back with her third home run of the year, a solo shot over the left field fence getting the Cardinal within 5-3.
The Aggies were able to tack on two more runs in the top of the seventh inning, sealing the 7-3 victory.
Tori Nyberg (Belmont, CA) took the loss for Stanford, striking out five and allowing only three hits, falling to 7-3 on the season. Maureen LeCocq (Woodland Hills, CA) pitched the final inning for the Cardinal, striking out two. Lappin, Allister and Cassi Brangham (Clovis, CA) recorded the only hits in the game for Stanford.
After pitcher Dana Sorensen (San Diego, CA) no-hit No. 12 Georgia last night, the Bulldogs returned the favor tonight. Michelle Green picked up her 13th win of the season and fanned 13 Cardinal batters en route to her no-hitter. Green did walk six batters, allowing Stanford to threaten but could not come up with a hit.
Georgia scored two runs in the fourth inning on RBI singles from Ashley Godfrey and Nicole Barber, to prevail in the 2-0 victory.
Sorensen took the loss for Stanford, her first of the season, to fall to 4-1.
The Cardinal look to bounce back in the third place game tomorrow against Long Beach State at 10 a.m. Georgia and Texas A&M will play for the Stanford Classic title following the third place contest.
Game 1 No. 21 Texas A&M000 005 27-6-1 No. 11 Stanford101 001 03-3-0 WP: Lindsay Wilhelmson (6-2) LP: Tori Nyberg (7-3) 2B: Selena Collins, TAM HR: Jessica Allister, STAN and Wilhelmson, TAM Records: Texas A&M (14-7), Stanford (13-5)
Game 2 No. 11 Stanford000 000 00-0-0 No. 12 Georgia 000 200 x2-6-2 WP: Michelle Green (13-1) LP: Dana Sorensen (4-1) 2B: Green Records: Stanford (13-6), Georgia (21-2)