Feb. 12, 2013

STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 20/22 Stanford softball team plays host to Santa Clara on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 5 p.m. at Smith Family Stadium. Admission to all regular season Stanford softball games is free.

The Cardinal opened the 2013 season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., fining with a 4-2 record. Stanford earned wins against Bradley, Portland State, Cal Poly and Indiana, but fell to second-ranked Oklahoma and Kentucky.

Senior short stop Jenna Rich led the Cardinal with six hits, including two doubles and a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. The El Segundo, Calif., native finished with weekend with a .611 slugging percentage and a .478 on-base percentage. Sophomore first baseman Erin Ashby hit two home runs, the firsts of her career, including a solo shot to force extra innings in the Cal Poly game.

All four Stanford rookies saw action during the opening weekend. Pitcher Kelsey Stevens was 2-1 in the circle, totaling 29 strikeouts in 20.2 innings pitched. Catcher Jessica Plaza started all six games behind the plate and hit her first collegiate home run against Indiana. Second baseman Kaitlin Schaberg hit .400 with four hits in five games played, while designated player Kayla Bonstrom recorded four hits in 14 at-bats.

Santa Clara (0-2) faced Pacific in a double-header last Saturday at home, falling 6-0 and 8-1. The Broncos utilized five different pitchers in the two games. Juniors Stephanie Fisher, Rochelle Rivera and Kelly Scribner and sophomore Breezy Bernard led the team with two hits apiece.

The Cardinal will also host the Stanford Nike Invitational February 15-17 at Smith Family Stadium. Participating teams include CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Northridge, Santa Clara and UC Davis. The tournament gets underway on Friday at Noon with CSU Bakersfield facing Cal State Northridge.