LAKEWOOD, Calif. – Kayla Bonstrom hit two home runs and Stanford generated 10 hits to power past Weber State with a 12-4 victory in five innings Sunday at the Long Beach State/Cal State Fullerton Louisville Slugger Classic.
The Cardinal (12-10) finished the tournament with a 3-2 record, picking up wins against Utah Valley, Long Beach State and Weber State. Stanford excelled offensively, batting .327 as a team with 37 RBIs and 11 extra-base hits.
Erin Ashby paced the Cardinal going 8-for-15 (.533) with 10 RBIs, three runs, a home run and a double. Hanna Winter was consistent at the plate hitting .500 (7-for-14), while Bonstrom provided a wealth of power, going 9-for-19 (.474) with two home runs, five RBIs, seven runs and an .842 slugging percentage.
Seven Stanford players hit .316 or higher and 12 registered at least one hit on the weekend.
Madi Schreyer, Haley Snyder and Kylie Sorenson saw time in the circle throughout the tournament and combined for a 3.18 ERA, limiting opponents to a .282 batting average.
“We’re starting to find ourselves and our best style of play,” said Stanford head coach Rachel Hanson. “We really saw that in our past two games. We’re playing a lot more loose and free. We’re enjoying playing the game and not getting so worried about the possibility of making mistakes. As we play more confidently and together, we’ll continue to see good things happen.”
Stanford got off to a quick start against Weber State (8-7) when Bonstrom hit a two-out opposite field home run to left center in the first inning. It was her fourth home run on the year and eclipsed her mark of three from the 2014 season.
Kayla Bonstrom hit two big home runs in today's victory against Weber State. She discussed the win after the game. pic.twitter.com/8He0ZLaFwJ
— Stanford Softball (@StanfordSball) March 1, 2015
Bonstrom led Stanford offensively going 3-for-4 with four RBIs. Winter produced two hits, while five Cardinal players contributed a hit apiece.
Schreyer (4-3) had a strong outing in the circle, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and one walk with one strikeout in 5.0 innings.
“Madi’s been pitching better and better and this was a good way for her to end a great weekend,” said Hanson.
Weber State leveled the score at 1-1 in the bottom half of the inning with the help of a Stanford fielding error.
The Cardinal caught fire in the third inning, scoring five runs on five hits and an error. Bonstrom broke the ice with a RBI-single. She was brought home when Jessica Plaza knocked a RBI-triple down the right field line. It is Plaza’s second career triple and first since her freshman year in 2013.
Along with scoring a run on an error, Cassandra Roulund and Kaitlin Schaberg contributed RBI-singles to give Stanford a 6-1 lead.
Weber State cut the Cardinal’s lead in half by rallying for two runs in the bottom half of the third.
Stanford batted around its lineup for the second consecutive inning in the fourth to double its score and take a commanding 12-3 lead.
Bonstrom again opened the scoring with a two-run home run to dead center field. Sorenson forced a bases-loaded walk before Leah White delivered an RBI-single. After a Weber State error scored another run, Winter singled to left field to cap the six-run inning.
The Wildcats continued to battle and produced a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to close the gap to 12-4. Schreyer remained focused and got a groundout and popup to end the inning and seal the victory.
The Cardinal will play a midweek game at UC Davis on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before playing host to Minnesota and Santa Clara at the Stanford Louisville Slugger Classic.