March 7, 2009
Stanford, Calif. - Senior ace Missy Penna blanked the 40th opponent of her career and the team backed her with four runs to post a 4-0 victory over San Diego State (10-11) today at Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium.
The win was the school-record 20th in a row for the Cardinal, which has not lost since the opening day of the season. Stanford is now 21-1 on the year.
Penna (14-1) threw her first one-hitter of the season, allowing third baseman Christine Kulick the only hit of the game in the third inning. She struck out 10 in her 14th complete game and became the first pitcher in program history to rack up 40 career shutouts. The Cardinal senior has now gone 34 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run and posted double-digit strikeouts on five occasions.
San Diego State's loss went to sophomore Samantha Beasley (5-7), who struck out two and gave up five hits.
Stanford's offense was led by freshman Ashley Hansen, who went 2-for-2 and reached on all three plate appearances. Senior Maddy Coon and freshman Jenna Becerra each hit solo home runs.
Stanford sent eight batters to the plate in the opening inning, but could only manage to plate two runs. With one out, Hansen singled up the middle to get Stanford rolling, and back-to-back walks loaded the bases for Maya Burns. When one of Beasley's offerings to Burns got by the catcher, Hansen raced in to score the first Cardinal run. Burns drilled an RBI single through the left side to make it 2-0 soon after, but Stanford couldn't bring any more in. The Cardinal left the bases loaded to strand three of its five total runners left on base.
Coon single-handedly built on Stanford's lead in the third inning. The senior infielder clocked Beasley's second pitch over the wall in left field, marking her second home run of the year and second of the season off of the Aztec pitching staff. One of the top 10 home run hitters in school history, the long ball was the 25th of Coon's career.
In the bottom of the sixth, Becerra got a hold of another one of Beasley's offerings. The freshman hammered a line drive over the left field fence for her second career home run and first at Smith Family Stadium.
Stanford will be back in action at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic later this afternoon, meeting Vermont at 3:45 p.m.