STANFORD, Calif. – A stellar pitching performance by Carolyn Lee and a late comeback effort was not quite enough against No. 12 UCLA, as the Cardinal dropped a 6-5 decision Saturday afternoon.
Lee (8-16) was excellent in her team-leading 11th complete game of the season but did not get the help needed from her defense. The Cardinal (18-26, 1-16 Pac-12) committed a season-high six errors, allowing five unearned runs to score.
Lee held a potent Bruins (36-12, 10-7 Pac-12) offense to one earned run on six hits and four walks with three strikeouts.
Stanford showcased its resiliency, cutting two different three-run deficits to a single run twice during the game – first with a pair of runs in the fifth inning, then again in the seventh.
Montana Dixon hit the first home run of her career in the bottom of the seventh inning. It was a pinch-hit two-run homer to left field that closed Stanford's deficit to 6-5. That was all the Cardinal would get, however, as the next three batters were retired in order to seal the victory for UCLA.
The Cardinal's offense operated in flashes, producing runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings but having trouble generating opportunities in the other four innings. UCLA starting pitcher, Selina Ta'amilo (11-0), played a significant role in the Cardinal's struggles, finding a rhythm after allowing a run in the bottom of the first inning.
Following an RBI-single by Whitney Burks in the bottom of the first, Ta'amilo retired the next 11 Stanford batters – a stretch that spanned the first through fifth innings.
With the Cardinal trailing 4-1 in the fifth inning, Kylie Sorenson extended her hitting streak to eight games with a two-RBI single to left. Sorenson has accumulated 12 hits during her current hitting streak and has produced at least one hit in 15 of her past 17 games.
Stanford struggled defensively, committing at least one error in four innings. The miscues proved costly with UCLA capitalizing for five unearned runs.
Bessie Noll salvaged the Cardinal's defensive effort with a trio of nice catches in the top of the seventh inning, highlighted by a full-sprint bucket catch in the right-center field gap to end the frame.
Stanford will look to get back in the win column Sunday at noon (PT). The game will be streamed live and live statistics will be available via GoStanford.com.
