STANFORD, Calif. – Kiana Pancino pitched well in 4.0 innings of relief but Stanford was unable to overcome a rough start against No. 23/24 Arizona State, dropping the series opener, 10-0, in five innings Thursday afternoon.
The Sun Devils (24-12, 3-7 Pac-12) produced all 10 of its runs in the first two innings and limited the Cardinal (16-20, 0-10 Pac-12) to three hits.
Stanford's pitchers had trouble locating the strike zone early in the contest. Among the Sun Devils first 14 batters, six walked and one was hit by a pitch. Arizona State capitalized, scoring six runs in the first inning and four in the second.
Pancino entered the circle in the second inning and helped stabilize the pitching, holding Arizona State to one run on three hits and no walks with two strikeouts in 4.0 innings.
.@kianapancino pitched well and Stanford was solid on defense but it wasn't enough against No. 23 Arizona State.https://t.co/dDzMPzXVfG
— Stanford Softball (@StanfordSball) April 14, 2017
Highlights from Stanford's series opener against No. 23 Arizona State.
The Cardinal had trouble figuring out Arizona State pitcher, Breanna Macha, who went all 5.0 innings and limited Stanford to three hits.
Despite the tough day at the plate, Stanford had its opportunities offensively. The Cardinal left runners on base in all five innings, including leaving the bases loaded in the fifth.
Kristina Inouye, Victoria Molina and Kaitlyn Lagattuta produced a hit apiece for the Cardinal. Inouye and Lagattuta also drew a walk each.
Stanford continued to play excellent defense and has not committed an error in 24 consecutive innings, dating back to the third inning of the series finale against No. 15 Utah on April 2.
The Cardinal continued to have trouble keeping the ball in the park with four of Arizona State's 10 runs coming on home runs. Chelsea Gonzales and Margaret Stahm hit a pair of two-run homers in the top of the second inning.
Stanford will look to rebound Friday at 5 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network and live statistics will be available via GoStanford.com.