STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford split a pair of games Saturday at the Nike Invitational, defeating Saint Mary's and falling to Long Beach State.
The Cardinal (4-4) opened the day with an impressive offensive showing to earn a 6-3 victory against the Gaels (2-5). Stanford accumulated five doubles as five players combined for nine hits.
Kayla Bonstrom and Kylie Sorenson led the Cardinal offensively, both going 2-for-4 and combining for three doubles. Arden Pettit also had a strong showing at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three singles and a run. Bessie Noll went 1-for-2 with two walks, a double and two runs.
"They played sharp and brought the bats today," said Stanford head coach Rachel Hanson.
Haley Snyder (3-1) got the start in the circle and went the full 7.0 innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits and three walks with three strikeouts.
The Cardinal jumped on the Gaels early with three of its first four batters of the game hitting doubles to score three runs and take an early 3-0 lead.
After Saint Mary's responded with two runs in the top of the second inning, Stanford padded its lead when Bonstrom hit her second RBI-double of the game to score Pettit from first.
The Gaels got a run back in the top of the fourth to cut Stanford's lead to 4-3. The Cardinal tacked on two runs in the bottom half of the inning to extend its lead. Sorenson started the rally with a leadoff single and Stanford capitalized on a Saint Mary's error to score its second run of the frame.
"It's been fun watching Kylie take the role she's comfortable with, which is being a leader in energy on the field and offensive production," said Hanson. "It's fun to watch all of her hard work pay off."
Haley Snyder buckled down nicely in the circle and kept Saint Mary's off the scoresheet the remainder of the game to secure the victory.
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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford continued to hit the ball hard but could not find the gaps against Long Beach State (3-3), dropping a 3-1 decision.
Carolyn Lee (1-3) pitched well in the circle for the Cardinal but suffered her third loss of the season despite holding the Beach to one earned run on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts in 7.0 innings. Lee has thrown complete games in three of her four appearances.
"Carolyn came out sharp and attacking tonight," said Hanson. "She's pitching at a really high level and giving us a chance to win every game she's in. Her mentality is impressive for a freshman – she recovers quickly and stays composed regardless of what's happening around her."
Bessie Noll provided the defensive highlight of the weekend so far, making a diving grab in the left-center field gap to rob a Long Beach State player of an extra-base hit.
The contest was a pitcher's duel through the first four innings but Stanford was undone by individual runs by Long Beach State in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
Stanford generated a run in the bottom of the seventh inning when Kaitlin Schaberg hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Kaitlyn Lagattuta but it was not enough to erase the 3-0 deficit.
"I'm really proud of how the team played, it was a good battle," said Hanson. "It was one of those games where our hits didn't fall and you just come back the next day ready to get after it."
The Cardinal looks to get back in the win column Sunday when it takes on Saint Mary's at 2 p.m. (PT) in the final game of the Nike Invitational.