STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 20 Cardinal picked up a sixth-straight win tonight, scoring 11 runs for a second game in a row to push past NC State 11-4 tonight at Stanford Softball Stadium. The win puts the Card at 28-12 on the season, and 13-6 in ACC play.
For the second-straight game, the Cardinal jumped out early with a big first inning. This time, Stanford struck for four innings in the first frame.
Taryn Kern led off the inning with her 16th home run of the season, putting her into sole possession of the fourth-most big flies in a season in program history. Emily Jones and Kyra Chan followed it up with back-to-back bunt singles, then a Jade Berry fielder’s choice loaded the bases for Joie Economides.
Economides singled to bring in Jones and Chan, making it a 3-0 lead and advancing Berry to third. Ava Gall brought her home with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.
In the circle, Alyssa Houston followed it up with a shutdown inning thanks to her third and fourth strikeouts of the game.
Stanford added six more runs in the bottom of the third, started off by River Mahler reaching on an error. Mahler stole second, and came around to score on a single from Berry. Berry scored on an RBI single from Gall to make it a 6-0 lead, then Sydney Boulaphinh brought in a pair with an RBI single of her own.
Addyson Sheppard scored from third on a wild pitch, and Boulaphinh came home on an RBI single from Jones to put the Card ahead 10-0.
Houston exited after the third, finishing her outing with three scoreless innings. The junior struck out four and allowed just one hit in the start.
The Wolfpack battled back with four runs in the fifth off of Ava Bulanti to avoid the run rule, cutting into the lead at 10-4.
With two outs and the bases loaded, Zoe Prystajko came into the game in the circle. The sophomore got out of the inning with a strikeout to strand all three runners.
After a quiet fifth inning for the Cardinal bats, Anna Brewer entered and pitched a perfect sixth inning. Gall drove in her third run of the day in the sixth, singling to score Berry and make it an 11-4 game.
Prystajko re-entered in the seventh, tossing a perfect inning to get the win.
The Cardinal is back against NC State tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. PT. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, and tickets are still available at Tickets.GoStanford.com.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- The Cardinal’s 11 runs today make 24 games this season with seven or more runs scored, and the ninth game with 10 or more.
- Stanford’s six-straight wins are a new season high.
- Junior Alyssa Houston pushed her scoreless inning streak to seven innings, starting and allowing just one hit in three innings.
- Sophomore Zoe Prystajko earned the win, tossing 1.1 hitless innings of relief to move to 13-5 on the season.
- Junior Ava Gall led the Cardinal with three RBI, finishing the day 2-for-2 at the plate.
- Junior Jade Berry paced the Card with three runs scored, going 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk.