DAVIS, Calif. – No. 24 Stanford used four pitchers to keep UC Davis hitless today in a 6-0 Cardinal win. Zoe Prystajko, Anna Brewer, Ava Bulanti and Alyssa Houston tossed the 37th no-hitter in program history this afternoon, the first seven-inning no-no since March of 2023. Last season, Prystajko no-hit the very same Aggies team in a five-inning February win.
Prystajko allowed the first of UC Davis’ three total baserunners in the first inning, issuing a one-out walk before retiring the next six batters.
The Cardinal struck in the third, after stranding runners in the first and second. Kyra Chan brought the first run in on an RBI single to right field, and River Mahler brought in the second on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Prystajko walked another batter in the third, but finished the inning with back-to-back outs to end her outing. The sophomore finished the day with three hitless innings of work, striking out one and walking two.
Anna Brewer entered in relief in the fourth, retiring the side after hitting the leadoff batter. The HBP would be the last Aggie to reach first base.
Stanford broke the game open in the top of the fifth, bringing in four runs on two hits and three errors. Sophia Jin led off the inning with a bunt single, stealing second to get herself into scoring position. Jin scored two batters later on an Emily Jones hit into center. Taryn Kern, who had reached on an error, was right behind her to score from first and put the Card ahead 4-0.
Mahler brought in the third run of the inning, reaching on an error. Mahler then went on to score from second on an RBI fielder’s choice from Joie Economides, making it a 6-0 lead.
The six runs proved to be more than enough to win the day. Brewer was perfect in the bottom of the fifth to keep the pitching dominance on track. Brewer earned the win in the circle, tabbed as the most effective relief pitcher after the starter, Prystajko, exited the game with a lead but fewer than the minimum four innings pitched.
Bulanti needed just 11 pitches for a perfect sixth inning. In the Card’s last three games, Bulanti has tossed 7.1 no-hit innings.
The seventh inning was Houston’s, and the junior was perfect for the final frame. Houston struck out two, including the final out to close the win.
Outside of the circle, Mahler was dominant at short. The senior All-American finished with seven assists and two putouts in a masterful defensive showing.
The win also marked the first seven-inning combined no-hitter in program history. The Cardinal’s only other combined no-hitter, Madi Schreyer and Nyree White in 2014, came in five innings.
In Stanford’s last two games against UC Davis, the Aggies are a combined 0-for-36 with eight strikeouts, two walks, one hit-by-pitch and one batter reaching on an error.
Stanford is at home this weekend, hosting No. 5 Florida State for a three-game series beginning Friday. Friday’s game against the Seminoles will start at 6:00 p.m. PT, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Saturday’s tilt, scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT, will be broadcast on ESPN. Tickets for all three games are still available at Tickets.GoStanford.com.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- The no-hitter is the 37th in Stanford softball history, and 15th to come in seven innings.
- Zoe Prystajko, Anna Brewer, Ava Bulanti and Alyssa Houston worked together for Stanford’s first combined seven-inning no-hitter.
- The Cardinal has now no-hit UC Davis in back-to-back games, after Prystajko tossed five no-hit innings against the Aggies in a run-rule win last February.
- Senior River Mahler snapped a nine-game hitting streak, but drove in two runs to lead the team.
- Mahler scored a run as well, and was dominant at short with seven assists and two putouts.
- Freshman Ava Bulanti now boasts a streak of 7.1 scoreless and hitless innings across the last three games.
- Freshman Anna Brewer earned her fifth win of the season to move to 5-2