SEATTLE - No. 2 Washington (43-7, 18-4 Pac-12) broke a scoreless game with five runs in the fifth inning to eventually earn a 5-2 victory over Stanford (32-16, 8-11 Pac-12) on Thursday night in game one of a three-game Pac-12 series.
Outside of the fifth inning, senior Carolyn Lee impressed in the circle for the Card, working out of a pair of jams en route to tossing a complete game. The right-hander fell to 11-8 after allowing five runs (two earned) on seven hits.
Lee got out of a one-out bases-loaded scenario in the second, striking out Silent Rain Espinoza and getting Amirah Milloy to pop up to shortstop to work around a pair of walks and an error charged to Emily Young at shortstop.
After allowing just one hit through the first three innings, Lee surrendered a pair of one-out singles in the fourth. Hannah Howell helped Lee escape that jam, making a running grab into the left-centerfield gap to end the inning and strand two runners in scoring position.
Washington senior Taran Alvelo was perfect through four innings pitching opposite Lee, but the Cardinal managed a pair of singles from Montana Dixon and Emily Schultz in the fifth to put a bit of pressure on the right-hander. Alvelo would eventually get some help from left fielder Sami Reynolds to get out of the jam, as Reynolds came charging on a fly ball to left field, made the catch, and doubled-off the runner at first to stall the rally.
After stranding six runners over the first four frames, the Huskies broke through in the bottom of the fifth with five runs. Leadoff hitter Sis Bates singled to start the frame, and raced around to score on a triple from Morganne Flores one play later. Flores would ultimately come in to score and extend the Washington lead to 2-0 when Reynolds lofted a deep fly ball to right centerfield for a sacrifice fly. The final three runs, all unearned, came on one two-out swing of the bat from freshman Madison Huskey, as Huskey launched a towering three-run shot off the foul pole down the line in left field to hand Washington a 5-0 advantage. The inning was extended by an error charged to second baseman Emily Klingaman – the second error on the line of the Cardinal in the contest.
Lee returned to the circle in the sixth and retired the side in order, but despite a two-run homer from Dixon in the seventh, the fifth-inning damage ultimately proved enough to hand the opener to the Huskies.
Although Alvelo allowed three-straight hits, including the two-run shot from Dixon, in the seventh, she settled down to finish the complete game and move to 23-4 on the season. Alvelo allowed just the two runs on six hits and no walks while striking out eight.
This one ain't over yet ...@StanfordSball cuts into the lead with a 2-run dinger from Montana Dixon.
— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) May 10, 2019
Watch #Pac12SB ?? https://t.co/Wc57UKJL4F pic.twitter.com/dZKME2siLE
Dixon would finish the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI.
Stanford will look to even the three-game series on Friday when the two teams collide at 5 p.m.