SEATTLE – Kiana Pancino held No. 7 Washington to one hit to lead Stanford to a dominating 6-0 victory Saturday afternoon at the Husky Softball Stadium.
Pancino (6-5) was pitching a perfect game through 4.1 innings before it was broken up by a double by the Huskies' (39-11, 12-8 Pac-12) Taylor Van Zee in the fifth inning. That's all the freshman would give up, retiring the next eight batters to secure the win.
It is the Cardinal's (19-28, 2-18 Pac-12) first victory against a top-10 opponent since Feb. 14, 2015, when it defeated No. 3 Alabama, 4-1.
Pancino did not permit a walk and primarily let her defense work, tallying only two strikeouts. Her defense did not let her down and made every play it was tasked with.
Hannah Howell and Bessie Noll highlighted the defensive effort with diving catches in left and center field, respectively. Howell's was particularly important, coming with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning to preserve Pancino's perfect game at the time.
Noll's catch came with two outs in the seventh inning and ended the game.
The Cardinal's pitching and defense has been excellent against Washington through the first two games, limiting the Huskies to one run on seven hits in 14.0 innings.
Stanford earned its 1?st victory vs. a top-1?0? opponent since 2/14/15, with a dominating win at No. 7? Washington.https://t.co/sGoeid21T7
— Stanford Softball (@StanfordSball) May 6, 2017
Highlights from Stanford's win at No. 7 Washington.
Stanford's offense racked up 10 hits and delivered in clutch moments throughout the game. The Cardinal hit .429 (3-for-7) with runners in scoring position and produced five of its six runs with two outs.
Washington starter, Samantha Manti (7-2), had trouble containing Stanford's offense allowing six runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings. Her defense did not help her out, committing three errors that resulted in four unearned runs for Stanford.
Kristina Inouye and Whitney Burks paced the Cardinal at the plate. Inouye went 4-for-4 with two RBIs, while Burks when 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and two-RBI single. It was Burks' team-leading seventh homer on the season.
Kylie Sorenson extended her hitting streak to 11 games with a leadoff double in the top of the first inning.
The Cardinal had opportunities to add additional runs but left runners stranded in each of the first six innings. Stanford went down in order in the top of the seventh, snapping a 15-inning streak with at least one batter reaching base, dating back to the sixth inning of last Sunday's matchup against No. 12 UCLA.
Stanford will go for its first Pac-12 series victory since 2013 Sunday at noon (PT). The game will be streamed and live statistics will be available via GoStanford.com.