STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford softball routed Saint Mary's 14-1 in five innings to open this weekend's action, Thursday night at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium.
The Cardinal (10-2) batted 14 times and scored 10 runs in the bottom of the second to take a commanding lead on the Gaels and held on for the team's first run-rule victory of the season. Stanford hit .444 (8-of-18) with runners on base, while nine different players batted in a run on the night.
Emily Young started the scoring off with a RBI double to right center in the bottom of the first inning to continue Stanford's trend of scoring in the first frame.
A pair of Saint Mary's (4-8) errors in the bottom of the second proved costly, and the Cardinal pounced to take advantage of the miscues. Sydney Steele batted in three runs in the inning off two separate plate appearances. The junior drew a bases-loaded walk to open the scoring, and she batted in Hannah Matteson and Emily Schultz in her second at-bat on a single to left center.
Aly Kaneshiro and Young batted in a pair of runs on the night, while Matteson, Schultz and Gindlesperger scored twice. Ellee Eck registered her first career hit on a triple to right center as 18 players saw the field.
Pitching the minimum three innings, Alana Vawter struck out three batters to two hits and zero walks to improve to 5-2 on the season. Kylie Chung was effective in relief, allowing zero runs.
Stanford continues a busy slate this weekend by hosting Mount St. Mary's and Fresno State in the DeMarini Invitational, Feb. 25-27. The Cardinal will play both schools twice, while California will also play both programs.
