May 18, 2013
LINCOLN, Neb. - Behind senior pitcher Teagan Gerhart, the 13th-ranked Stanford softball team eliminated Northern Iowa from the NCAA Tournament with a4-1 win, Saturday, in the Lincoln Regional at Bowlin Stadium. With the win, the Cardinal (39-20) has advanced to its third straight NCAA Regional final. The Panthers end their season at 27-26.
Gerhart improved to 21-12 in the circle, allowing one run on four hits. She finished with 10 strikeouts, her most in an outing since she tallied 12 against Minnesota on March 8. Northern Iowa's Jamie Fisher took the loss, falling to 22-15.
Offensively, the Cardinal notched 11 hits, including eight infield singles, to manufacture four runs. Sophomore Hanna Winter led the team going 3-for-4 with two runs scored. Freshman Kayla Bonstrom registered two hits and two RBI, while sophomore Leah White and Jenna Rich each tallied RBI singles.
Stanford broke the scoreless tie in the top of the third inning, plating two runs. Winter and White led off the inning with back-to-back infield singles. Bonstrom reached on an error by UNI second baseman Julia Hunter to score Winter. White was then brought home on a single up the middle by Rich.
The Cardinal tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth inning. White grounded out to second base, bringing home senior Tegan Schmidt. Bonstrom then hit an RBI double to left centerfield to score Winter.
The Panthers avoided the shutout in the bottom of the sixth inning. First baseman Gina Brown hit an RBI double down the left line to score pinch runner Jordyn Brunssen.
Stanford will take on Nebraska on Sunday, May 19, starting at 11 a.m. PT on the Big Ten Network. The Cardinal will need to defeat the Huskers twice to advance to the Eugene Super Regional to match-up with Pac-12 foe Oregon.