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Softball

Pitchers Lead the Way

ATHENS, Ga. – Pitchers NiJaree Canady and Alana Vawter let No. 19 Stanford in its pair of wins over Charlotte (4-0) and No. 13 Georgia (3-1) on day one of the Red & Black Showcase on Friday.

Canady (3-0) went the distance for Stanford giving up one hit, walking one and striking out 16, the most in program history since Missy Penna threw 19 in 2009 against Cal Poly.

Senior Alana Vawter (2-1) started in the circle against Georgia and picked up the win for Stanford in extra innings. The right-hander went 10 innings, giving up one run on six hits, allowing no walks and striking out four.

Offensively, the Cardinal was led by junior Aly Kaneshiro, who hit a two-run homer to start things off against the 49ers. Senior Taylor Gindlesperger furnished a standout performance at the plate as well, going 2-for-2 with a walk in game one. Against the Bulldogs, Stanford was paced by freshman River Mahler, who went 3-for-5 and drove in the first two runs.

GAME 1: STAN 4, CLT 0

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cardinal got on the board in the first, off of a fielding error picking up a pair of runs in the frame. Stanford then tacked on two more runs in the third inning off of Kaneshiro's homer to left field.

GAME NOTES
» Canady tossed a one-hit shutout for the Cardinal.
» Stanford's highest scoring inning was the third, when it pushed two runs across.
» Stanford grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first and didn't surrender that lead for the remainder of the game.
» The Cardinal out-hit the 49ers at a 3-1 clip.
» Stanford pitchers faced 24 Charlotte hitters in the game, allowing two ground balls and two fly balls while striking out 16.
» Kaneshiro led the Cardinal at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBI.

GAME 2: STAN 3, UGA 1

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cardinal put runs on the scoreboard first, starting the scoring in the third inning. Stanford got an RBI single from Mahler, scoring senior Gindlesperger from second base.
The Lady Bulldogs then tied the ballgame in the fifth. The game remained at a standstill, taking the game to extra innings. Mahler drove in run number two to give Stanford the advantage in the tenth innings, followed by a safety run off an infield single from Emily Jones. Vawter and the defense held on in the bottom of the 10th to give Stanford the win.

GAME NOTES
» Jones collected four hits on the day for Stanford.
» Four Cardinal had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Cardinal out-hit the Lady Bulldogs at a 13-6 clip.
» Stanford went 5-for-13 (.385) with runners in scoring position.
» Stanford pitchers limited Georgia to just 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position.
» Stanford pitchers faced 35 Georgia hitters in the game, allowing 18 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out four.
» Mahler led the Cardinal at the plate, going 3-for-5 with two RBI.