Feb. 12, 2009
San Diego, Calif. - On the opening night of the Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego, senior pitcher Missy Penna threw her third consecutive shutout and led the Stanford softball team (5-1) to a 4-0 victory over UC Santa Barbara (4-1).
Penna threw her fifth straight complete game, improved to 4-1 on the year and tied Becky Blevins' school record by blanking the 35th opponent of her career. In the three-hit outing, Penna posted 13 strikeouts for the third time in four games.
Offensively, Stanford was led by junior third baseman Shannon Koplitz, who went 3-for-4 to record the second three-hit performance of her career. Freshman shortstop Ashley Hansen recorded two hits for the fourth consecutive game. On her 21st birthday, junior Alissa Haber went 2-for-4 and knocked her first home run of the year over the right center field fence.
The Gauchos recorded three hits and put four runners in scoring position. Junior pitcher MeLinda Matsumoto went 5.2 innings and took the team's first loss of the year. Stanford outhit UCSB, 11-3.
After putting runners on in each of the first four innings, Stanford finally scored in the top of the fifth. With one out, Hansen crushed a single to right field and advanced to second when the Gaucho outfield mishandled the ball. On the very next play, senior Maddy Coon launched a ball to center field to score Hansen from second.
In the sixth inning, Stanford struck again, this time using three hits to plate three runs. Koplitz led off the inning with her double, and an ensuing single through the left side by freshman Maya Burns put runners at the corners with one out. Newcomer Jenna Becerra stepped in to pinch hit, and belted a deep sacrifice fly to the wall in center which allowed Koplitz to score.
With Stanford up 2-0, Haber then stepped in and clocked Matsumoto's very first pitch over the right center field fence. Her two-run shot was her first long ball of the year and the 11th of her career.
UCSB had its best chances to score in the fourth and fifth innings, leaving two runners in scoring position in each frame. Penna forced a ground out to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth inning, and struck out defending Big West Player of the Year Tiffany Wright with two on to end the fifth.
Stanford returns to the field to play a doubleheader tomorrow, taking on two ranked teams in No. rv/24 Long Beach State and No. 24/rv San Diego State beginning at 4:30 p.m.