March 21, 2009
Stanford, Calif. - The NCAA's longest active winning streak continued today, as the Stanford softball team (27-1) picked up another win at the Stanford Invitational. With a 6-1 victory over Santa Clara (4-20), the Cardinal pushed its record streak to 26 consecutive games.
Junior outfielder Alissa Haber went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, and scored three of the six Cardinal runs. Her pair of doubles brought her career total to 46 and put her in the company of Jessica Mendoza '02, Sarah Beeson '02, Jessica Allister '04 and Robin Walker '02 as one of the top five double hitters in school history. On the season, Haber now has 15 doubles, a figure which puts her in the program's single-season top-10 for the third straight year.
Junior Shannon Koplitz recorded two clutch hits in four at-bats and drove in four of the team's runs. Freshmen Ashley Hansen and Maya Burns also had two hits each.
Sophomore pitcher Ashley Chinn earned the win for Stanford in the circle and improved to 10-0. She gave up just three hits in seven innings and one earned run, while fanning four Bronco batters. Santa Clara starter Kaitlyn Rauschnot (1-11) took the loss after allowing four runs in four innings.
Stanford outhit an opponent for the 26th time this year, winning the hitting column by an 11-3 margin. The Cardinal left eight runners on base.
Stanford was on the board after sending just two batters to the plate, as Haber and Hansen hit consecutive doubles to lead off the game.
Stanford struggled to get another run across, however, despite loading the bases with one out in the second.
Santa Clara tied the game in the third inning, after freshman Briana Knight drove in a run with the Broncos' first hit. Sophomore Jackie Nicora walked to put a runner on for the Broncos, was bunted to second and came in on Knight's double down the left line.
Haber jumpstarted the Stanford offense in the fifth inning, however, breaking open the game for good with a leadoff home run. Hansen followed with an infield single and Maddy Coon walked to extend the rally. With two runners on, Koplitz bashed a clutch, two-RBI double to right center and gave Stanford a 4-1 lead.
The Cardinal added two more in the sixth. After Sarah Hassman was hit by a pitch, Haber beat out an infield hit and raced to second when the Broncos failed to cover the bag. Coon loaded the bases with her second walk of the day, and Koplitz followed with a two-RBI single that made it 6-1.
Stanford will play Pacific in its final game of the Stanford Invitational tomorrow, with first pitch set for 1:30 p.m. The Cardinal will be looking to extend its winning streak to 27 games, a run which would rank among the top-20 in NCAA history.