Over the weekend, #8 Stanford softball had a dominating performance at the Red & Black Showcase, which was hosted by the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens, Georgia. Stanford went 5-0 during the event with two wins over Charlotte, two wins over #13 Georgia, and a win over St. John’s.
Stanford defeated Charlotte 4-0 in the first game, #13 Georgia 3-1 (10 innings) in the second game, Charlotte 5-4 in the third game, #13 Georgia 3-0 in the fourth game, and St. John’s 6-1 in the fifth game. For the most part these were low scoring games, which means it was really the pitching that came through for the Cardinal.
Senior pitcher Alana Vawter pitched all 10 innings in their 3-1 victory over Georgia picking up her second win of the season. In their 5-4 victory over Charlotte, she pitched 5.0 innings and picked up her third win of the season. In their 6-1 victory over St. John’s, she pitched 3.0 innings, but wasn’t credited with the win. Over the course of all three games she pitched, Vawter totaled 18.0 innings, one earned run, and a 2-0 record to go along with 13 strikeouts.
Vawter wasn’t the only pitcher who brought the heat for the Cardinal. Freshman NiJaree Canady picked up two weekly awards as the result of her performance, getting named Pac-12 Pitcher and Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. In their two wins over Charlotte as well as their 3-0 win over Georgia, Canady pitched 14.1 innings for a 2-0 record and 26 strikeouts. In their first victory over Charlotte, she pitched 7.0 innings for 16 strikeouts. She was especially dominant in that one.
As a result of their weekend, Stanford is now 8-2 on the season and ranked #8 in the nation by D1Softball.com. They will return to action on Wednesday when they face the Santa Clara Broncos on the road. That game will air on WCCSports.com at 5:00 PM PT.
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