DURHAM, N.C. – No. 19 Stanford posted 14 runs in today’s series finale at No. 24 Duke, but a nine-run seventh inning rally from the Blue Devils walked off the game at 17-14 to move the Card to 20-10 on the season and 9-6 in ACC play. Joie Economides led the offensive outing with three hits and four RBI.
For the second game in a row, Stanford struck first. River Mahler singled with the bases loaded to bring in a run and make it 1-0 early. The next two Cardinal batters, Addyson Sheppard and Economides, drew walks to make it a 3-0 game.
Ava Gall drove in the fourth and final run of the inning, hitting into an RBI fielder’s choice.
In the home half of the first, Elena Krause worked around a pair of walks to keep the Blue Devils scoreless and hitless.
Duke broke through in the second, tying the game at four on a pair of home runs.
The Cardinal answered right back in the top of the fourth, posting another four-run inning. Stanford quickly loaded the bases – Taryn Kern was hit by a pitch to lead off, then Emily Jones and Kyra Chan recorded back-to-back singles.
Jade Berry drew the Card’s third bases-loaded walk of the day to make it a 6-5 game, then Mahler brought in another on an RBI groundout to tie it.
Economides was responsible for the biggest swing of the inning, singling to bring in two and make it an 8-6 Stanford lead.
Duke added a pair in the fifth to tie it, but the Cardinal response came on the first pitch of the sixth.
River Mahler kept her hot weekend going, crushing a massive home run well beyond the right-field fence to put Stanford ahead 9-8. The solo shot, her first of the season, gave her six RBI in the series.
Stanford kept pouring it on in the seventh. After a leadoff walk from Kern, her third of the day, Chan drove an opposite-field home run to left. The two-run shot made it an 11-8 lead, but the Cardinal wasn’t done yet.
Izzy Cacatian entered as a pinch hitter, singling to score a run and make it 12-8. Then Economides added to her dominant weekend with another RBI, coming on a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 13-8. The RBI pushed her weekend total to 6-for-9 with eight RBI, two homers and three walks.
Another run came in on a wild pitch to make it a 14-8 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
The Blue Devils scored nine runs, eight earned, on five hits in the seventh to win 17-14.
Stanford is back at home next weekend, hosting the Cardinal Classic II at Stanford Softball Stadium. The weekend begins on Thursday, April 2 with a 5:00 p.m. PT game against No. 25 Washington. Tickets are available at Tickets.GoStanford.com, and the game will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- The Cardinal finishes the seven-game road trip to the state of North Carolina 5-2
- Stanford’s 14 runs mark the 19th time this season the team has scored seven or more runs in a game.
- Seniors Emily Jones and Kyra Chan both extended their hitting streaks to 10 and nine games, respectively.
- Senior River Mahler’s home run in the sixth was her first of the season and 12th of her career.
- Sophomore Joie Economides finished 3-for-3 with 4 RBI.