STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 5 Cardinal fell 1-0 in extra innings to No. 12 UCLA, despite nine strong innings from sophomore pitcher
NiJaree Canady. Stanford falls to 36-8 on the year, still atop the Pac-12 standings with a 13-3 conference record.
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Sophomore
Emily Jones extended her hitting streak to 13-straight games, thanks to a double in the first inning. The streak is the longest for a Stanford player since
Taylor Gindlesperger reached base in 13-straight games during the 2022 season.
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Canady's 11th strikeout of the night in the sixth inning was her 206th of the season, moving her up on the Cardinal all-time list with the ninth-most in a single season.
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Neither side was able to break through in the first seven innings, as Canady and UCLA's Taylor Tinsley combined for 23 strikeouts and 10 hits allowed.
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The Cardinal headed to the eighth inning for just the fifth time this season, and first time since March 3 against No. 5 Georgia. Stanford went 3-1 in the previous four extra-inning games.
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After a scoreless eighth, Stanford headed to the ninth for just the third time all season – going 2-0 in the previous two games against Georgia as well as Colorado State on February 25.
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The Bruins scored the lone run of the night in the top of the ninth, on a play at the plate that originally resulted in the runner being called out. Replay review resulted in the runner being ruled safe due to an obstruction call.
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Canady finished the night with 12 strikeouts in nine innings pitched, allowing just the one run to score on eight hits and one walk.
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The sophomore's 12 total punchouts bring her career total to 425, which is closing in on Ashely Chin's total of 427 for the seventh-most in program history.
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The Cardinal and Bruins are back tomorrow, with first pitch scheduled for 4:00 p.m. PT. Tickets are sold out, but the game can be streamed on Pac-12 Networks.
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