The No. 14 Stanford softball team went 5-0 at the Cathedral City Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., beating San Diego State and New Mexico State on Sunday to go undefeated in the three-day tournament.

 

Senior Ashley Hansen helped the Card grab an early lead against New Mexico State, hitting an RBI single to score freshman Hanna Winter in the top of the first. Classmate Jenna Becerra tallied an RBI of her own, driving home junior Jenna Rich in the top of the fourth to give Stanford a 2-0 lead.

After the Cardinal scored two more runs in the top of the fifth, New Mexico State would take advantage of a Stanford pitching change. In the bottom of the fifth, with bases loaded, junior Tehani Kaaihue hit a two-run double to bring the score to 4-2. However, the Aggies would not score again, and an RBI from Rich in the top of the seventh capped off the Cardinal’s 5-2 victory.

Once again, Stanford would start off fast against San Diego State, tallying three runs in the top of the third. The Aztecs answered with a solo homerun in the bottom of the inning, but Stanford would expand the lead to 6-1 in the fifth inning, with sophomore Caitlyn Pura, freshman Leah White and Hansen all scoring for the Card. San Diego State would score two runs in the sixth, but Stanford again added a pair of late runs to seal the game at 8-3.

Junior pitcher Teagan Gerhart earned both wins for the Cardinal (13-3), striking out 12 batters and allowing just one run and three hits in her 11.2 innings on the mound.

Earlier in the weekend, Stanford also defeated Long Beach State, Long Island University-Brooklyn and No. 6 Oklahoma. The Cardinal has won seven straight games.

Next weekend, Stanford will hit the road again, traveling to Fullerton, Calif., for the DeMarini Invitational. The Cardinal will face Indiana, Northwestern, Florida International, East Carolina and Michigan State during the three-day tournament.

 

–Caroline Caselli