TEMPE, Ariz. – No. 22/20 Stanford showcased its ability to win in a variety of ways Friday at the Tempe Sports Complex, picking up victories in consecutive games against San Diego State and Northwestern.
The Cardinal (3-0) opened the day with a convincing 13-1 win over San Diego State (2-1), before grinding out a 4-3 decision over Northwestern (0-1).
Stanford took a commanding 5-1 lead through the first four innings against San Diego State and erupted for eight runs in the fifth to stretch its lead to 12. It was the second consecutive game the Cardinal posted eight runs in the fifth inning.
Madi Schreyer (2-0) had a terrific collegiate debut against the Aztecs, striking out six and giving up one run on two hits and one walk.
Leah White, Cassandra Roulund and Bessie Noll led the Cardinal with three hits apiece. Stanford scored in each of the first three innings, putting two runs on the board in the first and second innings, and Roulund adding a leadoff homerun in the third.
Noll led off the fifth inning with a single but the next two Cardinal batters were retired by the Aztecs. Tylyn Wells and Hanna Winter reached base on errors to help keep the inning going. The Cardinal took advantage and recorded five hits and a walk after the errors to stretch its lead to 13-1.
Nyree White pitched the final inning in relief and recorded two strikeouts to secure the victory.
The second game was quite a different story, with strong pitching and timely hitting highlighting the matchup.
Carley Hoover started and pitched a strong 4.1 innings before Schreyer came in to close out the game and earn her second victory on the day. The duo combined for 10 strikeouts, each throwing five apiece.
It was a pitching duel early with Hoover dealing four shutout innings and Northwestern’s Kristen Wood (0-1) not allowing a hit in the first three innings.
The game opened up a bit for the Cardinal in the fourth as White continued her hot day at the plate, leading off the inning with a double. She would score after three consecutive walks by Wood.
The Cardinal added two more runs after Bessie Noll was hit by a pitch and Erin Ashby delivered a sacrifice fly to right field.
Stanford did not have the 3-0 lead for long, as Northwestern responded in the top of the fifth inning with three runs of its own. Schreyer entered the game during the Wildcats’ rally and was able to get the Cardinal out of the inning without a deficit.
Stanford responded in the bottom of the fifth by manufacturing the eventual game-winning run. White led off with a double to right-center. She concluded the game 2-3 with two doubles and two runs, and finished the day 5-7 overall.
After a wild pitch moved White to third, Kylie Sorenson delivered an RBI-single to give the Cardinal a one-run advantage.
Schreyer kept Northwestern off the board in the final two innings, not allowing a runner to pass first base, to secure the win.
Stanford will play two games again Saturday, taking on Indiana at 10:30 a.m. (PT) and Western Michigan at 1 p.m.