STANFORD, Calif. – An incredible performance on Friday night turned to an even more remarkable performance on Saturday afternoon. Then on Saturday evening – the streak of achievements became even more unfathomable.
Coming off Regan Krause's no-hitter on Friday night against Mount St. Mary's, Alana Vawter and Molly Millar followed former's gem with remarkable performances of their own. Vawter threw her first perfect game to down Fresno State, 10-0 in five innings, while Millar also threw a no-hitter in the night cap against Mount St. Mary's, 8-0 in six innings.
Vawter's perfect game against the minimum 15 batters is the first perfect game by a Cardinal pitcher since Kelsey Stevens against Virginia on Feb. 23, 2013.
With either a no-hitter or perfect game in its last three straight games, Stanford has matched a stretch accomplished only once in program history. Tegan Gerhart had three consecutive no-hitters from March 19-20, 2010, against Santa Clara, Princeton and Saint Mary's – with the first game against the Broncos being a perfect game.
This is the first time in program history three different pitchers have recorded either a no-hitter or perfect game in consecutive outings. The only other seasons Stanford has had multiple pitchers throw no-hitters were 2008 and 2009 behind Ashley Chinn and Missy Penna.
The win improves the Cardinal to 13-2 on the season and extends the win streak to nine straight.
FRESNO STATE RECAP
The Cardinal scored 10 runs in the third and fourth inning to provide Vawter the run support needed to end the first game of the day early.
Sydney Steele and Sydnee Huff had RBI doubles in the bottom of the third before Taylor Gindlesperger pushed Huff across the plate on a triple – with all three extra-base hits being to the gap in left center. Emily Young hit a sacrifice fly to the foul territory in left field to plate Gindlesperger and give Stanford a 4-0 lead.
Both Caelan Koch and Young homered in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead, with Koch's two-run homer being the first of her career.
Vawter faced the minimum 15 batters in the perfect game, allowing zero base runners on the afternoon. The junior struck out eight – while inducing one fly out and six groundouts.
MOUNT ST. MARY'S RECAP
Coming off the euphoria of a perfect game, Stanford showed no ill effects in a no-hit performance from Molly Millar in the circle. The senior struck out a career-high 14 batters – besting her previous high-water mark by 10 strikeouts – to pick up the first no-hitter of her career.
The 14 strikeouts are the most by a Stanford pitcher since Gerhart matched that total against Oregon on May 6, 2011. The Mount's lone base runners came on three hit batters – with Millar walking zero batters on the night.
Sydnee Huff was 3-for-3 on the night, while Gindlesperger batted in four runs – off only one hit – against Mount St. Mary's. The latter batted in the final four runs of the night for Stanford in the second, fourth and sixth innings.
The Cardinal jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Gindlesperger's double in the bottom of the sixth was the walk-off hit to score Sydney Steele and Caelan Koch.
Stanford looks to close the weekend out with a win against Fresno State on Sunday. First pitch is at 12:30 p.m.