STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 15 Cardinal fell just short of completing a late comeback this afternoon, falling 7-6 to Clemson and moving to 26-8 on the season. Taryn Kern homered twice for Stanford, who moves to 9-6 in ACC play.
Sophomore pitcher Alyssa Houston opened the day sharp in the circle, retiring the first four batters she faced all on strikeouts.
After stranding runners in the first and second innings, the Card took advantage in the third. After Kylie Chung led off with a single, Taryn Kern crushed a home run to center field to give Stanford a 2-0 lead.
Clemson answered with four runs in the fifth inning, only one of which was earned. The Card was able to answer back with two runs in the bottom half of the frame to tie it at four, thanks to another Kern homer and an RBI groundout from Jade Berry.
The two long balls brought Kern’s season total to 13, leading the team and now the ninth-most in a single season in program history. The last time a Cardinal hitter posted more than 11 home runs in a season was Kayla Bonstrom with 13 in 2015.
The Tigers added three more in the sixth to go ahead 7-4, and Stanford again answered right back in the home half. Allison Morikawa, pinch running for Caelan Koch, scored on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 7-5.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Cardinal brought a run in to make it a 7-6 final, falling just short of completing the comeback.
The Cardinal is on the road next weekend, heading to Boise State for a three-game series with the Broncos. The non-conference series starts on Friday at 5:00 p.m. PT, and all three games will be streamed on Mountain West Network.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- Stanford moves to 26-8 (9-6) on the season.
- Juniors Kyra Chan and River Mahler both extended their hitting streaks to 12 games.
- Junior Taryn Kern hit her 12th and 13th home runs of the season, leading the team and the ninth-most in a season in program history.
- Kern’s 13 homers are the most in a season by a member of the Cardinal since Kayla Bonstrom hit 13 in 2015.