May 30, 2004
Oklahoma City, Okla. - The sixth-ranked Stanford softball team fell to No. 4 UCLA, 3-1, in 12 innings, at the Women's College World Series, in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Cardinal end their season with a 49-19 record while the Bruins improve to 46-9.
The twelve inning game is the longest game of the season for Stanford. The two teams left 23 runners on base as well.
UCLA got on the board early with a solo homerun by Caitlin Benyi in the top of the first inning.
The Cardinal came right back in the bottom of the first as Catalina Morris singled up the middle, then stole second. With two outs, Jessica Allister hit an RBI single to score Morris and tie the game at, 1-1.
Both pitchers settled down after the first and kept the game scoreless through the top of the 11th inning when the Bruins' Lisa Dodd doubled down the leftfield line, scoring Andrea Duran and giving UCLA the 2-1 advantage. They added an insurance run on a double to centerfield by Stephanie Ramos, that scored Dodd.
Senior hurler Dana Sorensen (34-11) took the loss for Stanford, allowing two runs on 10 hits over 12 innings of work with eight strikeouts. The Bruins' Keira Goerl (30-7) picked up the win in the circle, allowing one run on 11 hits over 12 innings with six strikeouts on the afternoon.
Stanford was led by Catalina Morris who went 4-for-6 at the plate with a stolen base and a run scored. Jessica Allister went 2-for-4 with an RBI while Jackie Rinehart also collected two hits.
Jodie Legaspi led the Bruins with a 3-for-5 outing while Caitlin Benyi went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Stanford is now 4-4 in WCWS play, going 2-2 in both 2001 and 2004. The Cardinal had one of their best season in the history of the program in '04, posting their highest finish in the Pac-10 with a tie for second. The 49 wins this season is the second-best in school history.