April 1, 2010
Final Stats
STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 14 California softball team and No. 11/9 Stanford battled through 11.5 innings of scoreless softball at the Cardinal's Smith Family Field before Stanford scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning. Arioto pitched all 12 innings for Cal, striking out 10 batters.
The Cardinal earned only its third hit of the game off the first pitch of the bottom of the 12 with a lead-off single to left field from Teagan Gerhart. The next batter - Sarah Haasman - attempted a sacrifice bunt and reached on an error at third, advancing Gerhart to second.
Arioto got the next Stanford batter in Alissa Haber to ground out to second, which allowed Gerhart to move to third and Haasman to second. Arioto then intentionally walked to Ashley Hansen, which loaded the bases. With all runners set to move, Jenna Rich made contact on the first pitch she saw and reached on a fielder's choice, which allowed Gerhart to score, giving Stanford the 1-0 extra-innings win.
Stanford tallied its first hit of the game in the bottom of the first when Haber had a bunt single, but she was left stranded.
Cal returned the favor with a hit in the top of the second. Frani Echavarria had a two-out single up the middle and Sevilla walked but they, too, would be left on base.
The next hit of the game - which would be Cal's - would not come until the top of the sixth, when the Bears mounted another semi-successful two-out rally. After Taylor Kelly fouled out to right and Jamia Reid popped up to short, Shannon Thomas came up to bat. The senior second baseman saw three balls and two strikes come her away before she singled to left field.
The rally continued when Arioto had an eight-pitch walk to put runners at first and second. Gerhart lowered the final blow, however, with a swinging strike out to freshman catch Lindsey Ziegenhirt.
Stanford threatened in the bottom of the 10th. After Arioto cunningly got Gerhart on a looking strike out, Hassman grounded out to Arioto. Haber then singled to center field and stole second, which prompted an intentional walk for Hansen. Arioto shut down the Stanford offensive, issuing another looking strike out, this one to Rich, to end the inning.
It was Cal's turn to make the opponent nervous in the top of the 11th. The Bears immediately put two runners on after Thomas was hit by a pitch and then Arioto singled to left field. A strike out and fly out by Ziegenhirt and Jace Williams, respectively, put two outs on the board.
Echavarria made contact with the seventh pitch of her at bat and reached base, but it was on a fielder's choice and Stanford got Arioto out at second to end the inning with two Cal runners stranded.
The Cardinal tallied two hits in the bottom of the 11th - one from Maya Burns and another from Melisa Koutz - but key Cal defense prevented any runs from scoring. With Burns at second, Koutz singled to short, which advanced Koutz to third, but that was not enough for her. Koutz went sprinting for home in an attempt to end the game with a Stanford win but Taylor Kelly at short fired the ball home to Ziegenhirt, who tagged Koutz out to end the inning.
After Cal went three-up, three-down in the top of the 12th, Stanford finally scored the game's sole run to end the extra-innings affair.
Haber led all players with two hits.
Gerhart fanned 10 batters, walking five and throwing 196 pitches.
The run was unearned for Arioto, who allowed just five hits in 185 pitches.
The rivalry series continues on Friday at 7 p.m. in the South Bay.
