No. 19 Bears Fall On The Farm

STANFORD, Calif. – The No. 19 California softball team fell, 4-2, to No. 7 Stanford in the Pac-12 Tournament Quarterfinals on Thursday afternoon at Boyd & Jill Smith Family Stadium.

Acacia Anders drove in a run for the Golden Bears (36-17). NiJaree Canady threw a complete game for the Cardinal (43-12), allowing just three hits and no earned runs.

Facing the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Year, Canady, who entered the game with an NCAA-leading 0.53 earned run average and 243 strikeouts, the Bears looked to manufacture runs. With zeros on the board through three, Cal did just that in the fourth.

Tatum Anzaldo led off the inning with a base hit, the first of the game for either team and moved to third base after a walk and a passed ball. Anders got the job done, lacing a ball to left field as Anzaldo tagged up on the diving catch from the Cardinal outfielder.

Leading 1-0, starter Ryann Orange walked the leadoff batter in the bottom half of the inning and Cal went to the bullpen for Haylei Archer. After a strikeout and a flyout, an error led to Stanford's first run to tie the game at 1-1.

Stanford's two-out rally continued with a single, two runs on another fielding error and an RBI single to make it four unearned runs for a 4-1 lead after four. Looking to battle back, the Bears got a run in the fifth on a double steal as Holly Medina swiped second and pinch-runner Hope Alley raced home on the throw to make it 4-2.

Cal brought the potential go-ahead run to the plate in the sixth, but a pop out ended the threat and Canady retired the Bears in order in the seventh to seal the win.

UP NEXT
Cal awaits its NCAA Tournament destination with the selection show set for 4 p.m. PT on Sunday. It will be broadcast on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.       

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