Stanford blanks LSU to force Super Regional rubber game

Winner Punches Ticket to OKC 🎟

🆚 Stanford
🕣 8:30 p.m. CT
🏟 Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium
📍 Stanford, Calif.
📺 ESPN2 [https://t.co/uYYSnGH9Bb]
📻 https://t.co/7do7evrGRB
📊 https://t.co/QmOTiH4CD5#DealUsIn pic.twitter.com/swC2D7p2Xv

— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) May 26, 2024

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 8 seed Stanford forces a winner-takes-all game after defeating No. 9 seed LSU, 3-0, Saturday night at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium.

LSU falls to 44-16 on the season, while Stanford moves to 47-15.

Pitcher NiJaree Canady (22-5) picked up the win after striking out nine batters and allowing two hits and three walks in the complete game outing.

Utility pitcher Kelley Lynch (9-3) was charged with the loss after dealing three strikeouts with a walk while giving up three runs on seven hits in 7.0 innings.

Outfielder Ali Newland had a leadoff extra-base hit in the fifth inning, and outfielder Ciara Briggs accounted for LSU’s other base knock.

“Our team was slow starting today, but anytime you’re facing a pitcher like NiJaree Cannady, it is extremely tough, and she had a great game tonight,” said Head Coach Beth Torina. “Going into tomorrow, we have to go back to the drawing board and play the game more aggressively, make better decisions at the plate, and go back to how we were feeling Friday night compared to how we started today.”

The Cardinal struck first with a run-scoring double by outfielder Kyra Chan in the third inning for a 1-0 lead. After three scoreless innings, Stanford padded its lead with two runs in the seventh thanks to an RBI double from outfielder Emily Jones and an RBI single by Chan to increase the margin to 3-0 heading to the bottom of the seventh.

Up Next

The series-deciding game will be at 8:30 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPN2.