STILLWATER, Okla. – Stanford opened the team’s 2026 NCAA tournament run with a dominant win this afternoon, beating Princeton 8-2 to move to 38-13 on the season. The Cardinal bats belted seven doubles in the game, and four Stanford pitchers combined to limit Princeton to just one earned run on six hits.
Princeton opened the scoring in the top of the second, pushing an unearned run across with two outs in the inning.
The lead was short lived – the Cardinal jumped back in front in the bottom of the second thanks to four doubles. Kyra Chan led off the inning with a two-bagger, then came in to score on a double from Sydney Boulaphinh two batters later.
Boulaphinh scored herself when Addyson Sheppard doubled, putting the Card in front 2-1. Sheppard moved to third on a third-straight double, this one from River Mahler. Taryn Kern brought Sheppard home with a sacrifice fly, moving Mahler to third.
Then with two outs, Mahler stole home to make it a 4-1 lead.
Princeton added another in the top of the third, hitting a solo home run to make it 4-2.
Alyssa Houston started in the circle for Stanford, exiting after the third inning. Houston finished her day with just one earned run and three hits allowed, striking out two and issuing no walks.
Anna Brewer took over for Houston in the fourth, striking out a pair in a scoreless inning of work.
Another run came in for the Cardinal in the fourth, when Kern doubled off the wall for a two-out RBI to make it 5-2.
Princeton threatened in the top of the sixth, with two reaching on errors to put runners on first and third with two outs. Zoe Prystajko entered the circle, and got out of the inning on just one pitch. On a passed ball, Princeton’s Sonia Zhang broke for home. Prystajko beat her to the plate, tagging her out in a collision at home to end the Tigers’ scoring threat.
In the bottom of the sixth, Stanford kept the momentum going. With two outs, Mahler and Emily Jones each reached on bunt singles. Kern doubled to bring them both in, making it 7-2. Ava Gall followed it up with a double, scoring Kern to make it 8-2.
Ava Bulanti got the ball in the circle, surrendering a leadoff double. The freshman followed it up with three-straight outs to wrap the win.
Stanford advances to play the winner of this afternoon’s game between Eastern Illinois and Oklahoma State. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT.
POSTGAME NOTES:
- Stanford has scored seven or more runs in 28 of the team’s 51 games this season.
- The Cardinal has held its opponent under three runs in 10 of the last 13 games.
- Stanford’s seven doubles are the most in a game since 2019.
- The Card moves to 50-30 all-time in NCAA Regional competition, and 64-51 in the postseason.
- Freshman Anna Brewer earned the win the circle, throwing 2.2 scoreless innings of relief to move to 6-2 on the season.
- Brewer and fellow freshman Ava Bulanti combined for 3.2 scoreless innings pitched, allowing just three hits and issuing no walks.
- Senior Taryn Kern’s run scored was her 174th with the Cardinal, moving her into a tie for the fourth-most in program history.