May 15, 2009
Stanford, Calif. - The eighth-seeded Stanford softball team (45-9) stormed past Portland State tonight in its first game of the Stanford Regional, getting a solid start in its quest to return to the Women's College World Series for the first time since 2004. Led by Ashley Hansen and Alissa Haber, the Cardinal unleashed 10 runs on the Vikings (29-25), ripped five doubles and walked away with a 10-3 victory.
Stanford advances to play in tomorrow's first game, which begins at noon at Smith Family Stadium. The Cardinal will meet Nevada, which upset No. 22 Cal Poly 4-1 earlier in the day.
In her first career postseason contest, Hansen, the Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, ripped three doubles in three at bats. The rookie drove in three runs, and matched Haber with 22 doubles on the year. She is the fourth player in school history to hit three doubles in a game, and the first to do so in postseason play. With 22 doubles each, Haber and Hansen are just the second pair to hit 20 doubles in the same season (Jessica Mendoza and Sarah Beeson also did so in '01).
Haber was 3-for-4, reached on four of her five plate appearances, drove in three runs and scored four times. She also doubled in the game, and along with Hansen, is just one double short of the previous school record (23 by Beeson in '01). With five combined doubles in the game, the Cardinal now has 89 on the year, which ranks second only to the 2001 WCWS team that hit 102.
Haber also reached 80 hits on the year, joining Jackie Rinehart (2004) and Mendoza (1999, 2000, 2001) as the only Stanford players to accomplish the feat. Hansen is now just two hits short of 80.
Hansen posted three more RBI in the game, and now has a team-leading total of 51 for the year. She is the seventh player in school history to record 50 RBI in a single year and the third to do so as a freshman.
Senior Maddy Coon and sophomore Melisa Koutz were both 2-for-4 in the game. Koutz hit her career-best 11th double of the year in the third inning. Stanford outhit Portland State, 13-6, and scored 10+ runs for the first time since early April.
The Vikings got multi-hit games from sophomore Arielle Wiser and senior Jenna Wilson.
Missy Penna (32-6) struck out 11 in six innings of work and picked up her 32nd win of the year. The win was the 116th of her career, tying her as the 18th-winningest pitcher in NCAA history.
Sophomore Nichole Latham (16-12) took the loss for Portland State after allowing five runs in 4.1 innings.
Stanford scored its first run in the first inning, as Haber capitalized on a leadoff walk and worked her way around to score. After Hansen sacrificed her to second, Coon stepped up with a single up the middle to put Stanford on the board first.
The home squad went back to work in the second, sending eight batters to the plate and scoring three more runs. With one out, Maya Burns singled and Jenna Becerra drew a walk. After Sarah Hassman bunted her two rookie classmates into scoring position, Haber popped a single up the middle that scored both. Haber later scored on Hansen's first double of the day.
In the fourth inning, Stanford increased its lead to 5-0. Haber reached on an infield single and Hansen stepped up with her second double to drive her around.
In the top of the fifth, Portland State, which had gotten only two hits off of Penna in the first four frames, finally began to threaten. A double by Wiser and an ensuing single by senior Jamee Rauch put the Vikings on the board.
In the sixth, Portland State was back again, finding ways to put runners on base. Penna hit the leadoff batter, then Wilson sent the Vikings' fifth hit up the middle. Another single by De'Chauna Skinner loaded the bases with one out. Another hit batter forced one run in, and on an ensuing ground ball to the shortstop, Becca Diede was called safe at second and Wilson was able to score.
With the Vikings back in the game at 5-3, Stanford came out and exploded offensively in the sixth. Hassman walked to lead off the inning, and Haber doubled to send her around. Hansen doubled for the third time in as many at bats to score Haber, and the rookie scored when a single by Shannon Koplitz was mishandled in the outfield. Coon and Koutz followed with consecutive singles up the middle, with the Koutz hit scoring Koplitz to make it 9-3. A walk loaded the bases and Becerra came through with a single to put Stanford in double figures, 10-3.
The Cardinal and the Wolfpack are scheduled to meet in the third game of the Stanford Regional at noon tomorrow. Cal Poly and Portland State will play an elimination game at 3 p.m. The loser of the Stanford-Nevada match-up and the winner of the Cal Poly-Portland State match-up will play another elimination game at 6 p.m. tomorrow.