The senior members of the Stanford softball team came into the program feeling pretty good about their chances to play in a Women’s College World Series. It didn’t happen and it wasn’t anyone’s fault.
The seniors, however, showed their true character by sticking around while others transferred or quit. In other words, they showed leadership and commitment.
Now playing for their third coach in four years, seniors Arden Pettit, Victoria Molina and Lauren Wegner, along with four-year junior Whitney Burks, have not just weathered a 40-day rainstorm, they’ve also seen the bird clutching an olive branch in its beak.
Stanford lost yet another close game, this time 1-0 to visiting ninth-ranked Arizona on Thursday, and fell to 2-20 in the Pac-12 Conference with two games remaining to play.
The Cardinal is 6-88 in conference play since the start of the 2015 season. Over that same span, Stanford is also 66-46 in nonconference play.
Where there seems to be a measure of parity, the Cardinal does well. The Pac-12 is like being thrown under the bus. The twist here is that the Stanford seniors keep getting back up and dusting themselves off like a successful stolen base.
Last year’s series opener against the Wildcats was a 20-1 setback in five innings. In fact, all three games in Tucson were five-inning affairs. In contrast, a 1-0 game seems like a complete makeover.
Stanford junior pitcher Carolyn Lee had a shutout until there were two outs in the top of the seventh. She allowed the one run on five hits, while striking out four in a complete game against the Wildcats.
It was a scoreless game heading into the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, pinch hitter Hillary Edior roped a double to left field to score the lone run of the game.
Stanford had its chances, stranding five runners against the Wildcats. Burks recorded the Cardinal’s first hit of the game, a single in the third.
Wegner doubled to lead off the fifth inning. However, with two outs, Wegner was caught stealing to end the inning.
Sophomore Teaghan Cowles and Pettit each singled to open the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.
Stanford has a chance to even the series on Friday at 5 p.m. The game will be televised on Pac-12 Networks.