April 27, 2007
PALO ALTO, Calif. - A great play at the plate by Jessica Mapes and a two-hit complete game shutout from Katie Burkhart gave No. 7 Sun Devil Softball the edge they needed Friday night as they topped the No. 16 Stanford Cardinal 2-0 in Palo Alto, California. The Sun Devils are now 45-11 overall and 9-4 in conference play with Stanford dropping to 30-14 overall and 5-8 in conference.
The game remained a scoreless deadlock through five with the only hit of the game before that coming in the third with a single from Kaitlin Cochran who dove headfirst to beat the throw. Finally in the sixth inning a lead-off single from Jessica Mapes off a 1-0 pitch followed with Mindy Cowles taking a pitch in the leg put two on with one out. Bianca Cruz dug in to smash a 0-1 pitch through the right side where Mapes came around to collide with the Cardinal catcher, Rosey Neill to pop the ball out and slide in safe with Cowles right behind her to take two from the Cardinal.
The Cardinal threatened in the sixth putting two on and with two outs a single to left field looked to plate Tricia Aggabao but was unable to cross the plate before a throw from left to second picked off the runner at second to end the inning and keep Stanford off the board.
The Sun Devils will continue Pac-10 play tomorrow as they head to Berkeley to take on the Cal Golden Bears tomorrow at 1 p.m.