Stanford defeated No. 24 Duke by a score of 11-4 in Durham on March 28, led by two home runs from Taryn Kern. The win brings No. 19 Stanford to a record of 20-9 overall and 9-5 in conference play.
The game was notable for Stanford’s strong offensive performance, including a six-run fifth inning that gave the team a commanding lead. Kern hit solo home runs to lead off both the third and fifth innings, marking her tenth homer of the season and her second consecutive season with double-digit home runs.
Stanford opened the scoring early, as Jade Berry doubled to bring in Kyra Chan and then scored herself on an RBI single from River Mahler in the first inning. In the third, after Kern’s solo shot, Emily Jones singled and later scored on another RBI from Mahler.
The Cardinal offense surged again in the fifth inning with contributions from multiple players: after Kern’s second homer made it 5-0, Mahler added her third RBI of the game four batters later. Addyson Sheppard executed a bunt to score Chan on a suicide squeeze play before Joie Economides hit a three-run homer—her second in as many games—to extend Stanford’s lead to ten runs.
Duke responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth and one more in the sixth but could not close the gap further. Stanford added another run in the seventh when Ava Gall singled to bring home Boulaphinh for an unearned run following an error.
Anna Brewer earned credit for the win after pitching five non-consecutive scoreless innings while allowing just two hits. The series between Stanford and Duke concludes tomorrow at 9:00 a.m., with coverage available on ACC Network Extra.
