Stanford University’s softball team split its games on April 4 during the third day of the Cardinal Classic II, defeating No. 21 Washington before falling to Saint Mary’s. The results bring Stanford’s season record to 22-11.
The first game saw Stanford rally from a four-run deficit against Washington. After trailing 4-0 through two innings, Addyson Sheppard and Sydney Boulaphinh each hit solo home runs in the third inning to cut the lead in half. Additional runs came from an RBI single by Chan, a throwing error that allowed Emily Jones to score, and an RBI groundout by Joie Economides, giving Stanford a 5-4 advantage.
Freshman pitcher Ava Bulanti entered in relief and delivered 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing only three hits with two strikeouts and no walks. Her performance earned her first career win as she kept Washington at bay until Zoe Prystajko and Alyssa Houston closed out the game. Houston recorded her fourth save of the season after striking out a pinch hitter with bases loaded in the sixth inning.
Stanford added insurance runs with a two-run homer by Izzy Cacatian in the fifth inning and another run driven in by Mahler in the sixth for an eventual 8-4 victory over Washington.
In their second game against Saint Mary’s, Stanford fell behind early as Saint Mary’s scored five unanswered runs through four innings. The Cardinal managed one run off Jade Berry’s sacrifice fly but could not mount a comeback, losing 5-1.
Bulanti continued her strong showing across both games by pitching another scoreless outing—this time delivering 3.2 shutout innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three batters for a total of six-plus scoreless frames on the day.
Looking ahead, Stanford will have a break before facing UC Davis on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m., followed by hosting No. 6 Florida State for a three-game series starting Friday evening.
