Walk it Off

STANFORD, Calif. – Emily Young proved the heroine on Saturday, as Stanford softball upset No. 2/3 UCLA on a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh to end the Bruins' 25-game winning streak.

Deadlocked in a pitcher's duel for much of the afternoon, the Cardinal (25-10, 4-4 Pac-12) entered the bottom of the seventh with the opportunity to end the game before extra innings. Kaitlyn Lim drew a walk to lead off the inning, and she advanced to scoring position courtesy of a stolen base during Johnna Schroeder's at-bat.

With one out in the inning and the go-ahead run a base-hit away from reaching home, Young sent a shot up the middle on a 1-0 count that rolled past the centerfielder, giving more than enough time for Lim to score from second.

The win is Stanford's highest-ranked win since the Cardinal upset No. 2 UCLA, 2-1 at home on May 3, 2019. It is the Cardinal's third Top-25 win of the season, and hands UCLA (32-4, 10-1 Pac-12) its first loss in conference play, and first overall loss since Feb. 20.

Stanford out-hit the Bruins 4-2 on the day, led by a 2-for-3 showing from Taylor Gindlesperger.

In the circle, the duo of Tatum Boyd and Regan Krause were masterful in holding UCLA to a season-low two hits and it's first time being shut out all year. Boyd received the start, with a walk being her only blemish in 1.2 innings of work. After back-to-back outs in the top of the second, Boyd handed the ball to Krause in relief.

The sophomore struck out five over her 5.1 innings of work to pick up the first Top-10 win of her career. In the third inning, the Bruins loaded the bases in a scoreless game and All-American outfielder Maya Brady due up to the plate. Unfazed by the moment, Krause get Brady swinging for strike three to end the inning and preserve the lead.

With the series tied 1-1, the Cardinal has the opportunity to take the series in Sunday's rubber match. First pitch from a Smith Family Stadium is at noon.