SAN DIEGO, Calif. – In the field. At the plate. It doesn't matter – Emily Young makes the play when it matters most.
Young was all over the field in a season-opening, extra-innings 3-1 victory over Middle Tennessee State, Thursday at the SDSU Softball Stadium.
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Young made a diving grab on a lightly-hit ball to shallow left center to retire the side and send the game to extra innings. The senior shortstop sent the first pitch she saw in the top of the eighth inning well past the fence in left field for Stanford's (1-0) first home run of the 2022 season. Sydnee Huff scored the go-ahead run from second as a result of the international tiebreaker, and the Cardinal held on for the win.
Young ended the day 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run. Huff was equally impressive with a 3-for-4 performance with two runs and two triples. The junior scored the go-ahead run after sending a triple to the wall in the first inning from the two-spot.
Stanford out-hit the Blue Raiders 11-2 on the night, with Middle Tennessee getting only four runners on base with no extra-base hits.
Regan Krause was effective in relief, throwing 5.1 innings of one-hit softball. The sophomore struck out two batters to zero walks, while Molly Millar struck out three.
The Cardinal continues the SDSU Kickoff Classic tomorrow with a 7 p.m. bout against host San Diego State.