Feb. 29, 2004
Tucson, Ariz. - The Stanford softball team fell to Arizona 7-5 in the championship game of the Worth Wildcat Invitational softball tourney Sunday afternoon. Arizona improves to 21-0 overall. The Cardinal dropps to 13-5.
The Cardinal touched up Alicia Hollowell for two hits and a run in the first. Katherine Hoffman singled to left and stole second, then scored on a base hit by Lauren Lappin.
Megan Sickler lifted a lead-off home run to left field in the second to make it 2-0. The Cats threatened in the bottom of the inning, with runners and second and third and one out, but SU pitcher Dana Sorensen struck out Samantha Quintero and got Crystal Farley to pop out and stop the threat.
Arizona got on the board with a couple of back-to-back long balls off Sorensen in the bottom of the fourth. The Cats had an opportunity to take the lead after the home runs, with Kristie Fox and Candance Abrams getting singles, and Autumn Champion reaching on an error to load the bases, but Sorensen struck out Wendy Allen.
Candace Abrams' two-run double staked UA to a 4-2 lead in the fifth. Mackenzie Vandergeest drew a walk off Sorenzen, and Coburn singled to put two runners aboard.
The lead was short-lived. The Cardinal's Jackie Rinehart hit a bunt single, Lappin walked and Jessica Allister knocked a three-run home run to center field to make it 5-4 in the top of the sixth. But that lead lasted briefly, too.
Caitlin Lowe hit a bunt single, moved to second on Champion's groundout, and scored on a double by Allen for the tie. Schultz came up a batter later and slugged a pitch over the left field fence for the game-winning runs.
Jessica Allister led the Cardinal with a 1-for-3 effort at the plate with three RBI and a run scored. Meghan Sickler and Jackie Rinehart both went 1-for-2 with a run scored while Sickler added an RBI.
Laura Severson (4-2), who pitched in relief of starter Dana Sorensen, took the loss for Stanford allowing four runs on five hits in two innings of work.