STANFORD, Calif. – Bessie Noll hit a two-out RBI-double in the bottom of the sixth inning to help lead Stanford to a 6-5 victory against Santa Clara on Tuesday evening.
The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak for the Cardinal (17-22) and extended its winning streak against the Broncos (11-29) to 47, dating back to 1995.
The win did not come easy with Santa Clara holding a 4-1 lead through three innings, but Kristina Inouye, Kylie Sorenson and Noll provided clutch hits when needed to ensure a Cardinal victory.
Inouye gave Stanford leads in the first and fourth innings with a RBI-single and a two-RBI single, respectively. She went 2-for-3 on the day with a walk and led the Cardinal with three RBIs.
Down 4-1 in the fourth inning, Sorenson doubled down the left field line with the bases loaded to bring in a pair of runs and set the table for Inouye to deliver the go-ahead two-RBI single.
After Santa Clara tied the game at 5-5 in the top of the sixth inning, Noll provided the finishing touches on the win with a booming RBI-double to left field in the bottom half of the inning to put the Cardinal back up, 6-5.
Highlights from Stanford's victory against Santa Clara.
Carolyn Lee (8-14), who entered the game in relief in the fourth inning, shut the door in the top of the seventh by retiring the side in order, striking out two of the three batters.
Lee was excellent in 4.0 innings of work, limiting the Broncos to one run on two hits and one walk with six strikeouts.
Nikki Bauer started in the circle for the Cardinal and held Santa Clara to four runs – two earned – on four hits and three walks with a strikeout.
Stanford's offense started slow with only two hits through the first three innings but came alive in the latter half of the game. Seven different Cardinal players combined for eight hits, including three going for extra bases.
The Cardinal had and uncharacteristic day defensively, committing three errors. Stanford entered the game having committed just two errors in the previous 38.0 innings. All three errors occurred in the second and third innings, and Stanford played well in the field the remainder of the game.
Stanford will look to build off the momentum this weekend when it travels to Oregon State for a three-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m. (PT). The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.