May 20, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 15 seed Stanford softball team shut out Pacific, 3-0, Friday, in the postseason opener for both teams at Smith Family Stadium. The Cardinal improves to 39-15, while the Tigers drop to 37-18.
Sophomore pitcher Teagan Gerhart (23-11) tallied her 26th complete game of the year, including her third shutout. She finished with four strikeouts and gave up three hits without issuing a walk. Pacific's Nikki Armagost took the loss, falling to 19-10 overall.
The Cardinal took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, capitalizing on two errors by the Tigers. With two outs, Gerhart reached on an error by Pacific first baseman Nicole Matson. She advanced to second on a wild pitch by Armagost. Junior Sarah Hassman then tallied an infield single, but a throwing error by the Tigers' third baseman Taylor Petty allowed Hassman to advance to second and for Gerhart to score.
The third inning continued as junior Ashley Hansen singled up the middle to put two on for the Cardinal. That brought up second baseman Jenna Rich. The sophomore registered a two run double to centerfield to give Stanford the 3-0 advantage.
With the win, the Cardinal will face Fresno State, Saturday, at 12 p.m. PT at Smith Family Stadium. The Bulldogs edged Nebraska, 1-0, in 10 innings in the first game of the regional.