March 4, 2012
FULLERTON, Calif. - The No. 10/11 Stanford softball team closed out the DeMarini Invitational with wins over Michigan State (11-0 in five innings) and East Carolina (3-1) in Fullerton, Calif. The Cardinal moves to 18-3 overall, while the Spartans dropped to 4-11 and the Pirates fell to 7-10.
Junior pitcher Teagan Gerhart picked up both wins in the circle, improving to 18-1 overall. She racked up 10 strikeouts in 11 innings, allowing just one run on six hits. Shelby Wise took the loss for the Spartans, dropping to 0-3, while Sarah Christian fell to 5-5 for the Pirates.
Against Michigan State, Stanford struck first, scoring one run in the bottom of the third. Sophomore Caitlyn Pura led off the inning with a bunt single. She advanced to second on an infield single by freshman Hanna Winter. Junior Jenna Rich singled up the middle to score Pura from second.
The Cardinal posted a big fourth inning, pushing its lead to 11-0. With the bases loaded and no outs, Winter hit an infield single to score senior Jenna Becerra. Catcher Michelle Prong crossed the plate on a single through the right side by freshman Leah White. Senior Ashley Hansen kept it going for the Cardinal, scoring Pura with a single to centerfield. Rich then drew a walk to score Winter. Freshman Cassandra Roulund, pinch hitting for Tylyn Wells, ripped a double to right field, scoring White and Hansen.
Still in the fourth, the Cardinal loaded the bases again as Becerra, who led off the inning, was hit by a pitch. Freshman Lauren Donovan, pinch hitting for Prong, then drew a walk to score Rich. Winter then cleared the bases with a double to right field.
Freshman pitcher Nyree White finished the game in the circle for the Cardinal, shutting down the Spartans to put the run-rule in effect.
Versus East Carolina, Stanford scored one run in the bottom of the second as Winter hit a single up the middle to score Becerra from second.
The Pirates tied it up in the fourth, loading the bases with no outs. Right fielder Jordan Lewis reached on a fielder's choice, allowing second baseman Kristi Oshiro to score from third.
Stanford answered in the fifth, taking a 3-1 lead. White led off with an infield single and then advanced to second on a throwing error by ECU first baseman Cicely Lopez. She moved to third as Hansen flew out to centerfield. White scored on an RBI single by Rich. Becerra then drove in Rich with a single that stayed just fair down the right field line.
The Cardinal threatened in the sixth, loading the bases with two outs. However, Christian got out of the jam by striking out Roulund.
The Cardinal returns to the Bay Area next week for seven games. Stanford will play at Saint Mary's on Wednesday, March 7 before returning to The Farm to host the Louisville Slugger Classic, March 9-11, at Smith Family Stadium.