Stanford’s Pitching Stymies Georgia’s Bats in Athens

By Katie Moseley
Special to ExtraInningSoftball.com

The Stanford Cardinal made a strong statement this weekend as the pitching duo of Alana Vawter and NiJaree Canady shut down the powerful Georgia bats, holding the Bulldogs to just one run in 17 innings at the Red & Black Showcase in Athens.

The Cardinal showed why they were picked to finish second in the Pac-12 and why many have them as World Series contenders. In an era where the long-ball is king, the Cardinal played the short game to perfection, doing their damage with well-executed bunts that capitalized on their speed and a slew of timely base hits, helped by a few Georgia defensive miscues. Despite tallying 21 hits over their two games, only three went for extra bases.

Stanford was led on offense by a couple of freshmen: River Mahler and Emily Jones. In two games, Mahler went 4-for-8, recording a pair of RBIs in game one, including the game winning-hit, while Jones went 5-for-8 with a couple of runs and a pair of RBIs.

After hitting .433 as a team with 10 long balls and 54 runs last weekend in Orlando, the 10^th-ranked Bulldogs managed just nine hits and one run against Stanford’s pitchers.

Game one was an untraditional pitcher’s duel that lasted 10 innings, resulting in a 3-1 win for the 13^th-ranked Cardinal. Though the two sides combined for 19 hits (13 for Stanford and six for Georgia), there were only four extra-base knocks in the contest, three of which came from the Bulldogs.

Vawter went the distance for Stanford, allowing one run on six hits while striking out four and allowing no free passes. The senior commanded the zone, keeping the Georgia hitters off balance working east and west while mixing in her change-up for a strike in any count. The Cardinal defense looked sharp, backing up Vawter as the Bulldogs peppered the infield with hard-hit balls that were smothered with ease by the Stanford fielders.

Vawter was nearly flawless against anyone not named Sydney Kuma, who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a solo home run that marked the only blemish on the Stanford pitchers in two games.

The Bulldogs had a chance to take the lead in the bottom of the sixth after a leadoff triple off the left field wall by Dallis Goodnight, but the veteran Vawter forced a pair of groundouts before striking out Jayda Kearney to end the threat.

Former Duke graduate transfer Shelby Walters got the start for Georgia, working a solid eight innings allowing eight hits and one run while striking out five. She was replaced by Madison Kerpics in the top of the ninth after a leadoff double from Caelan Koch. Back-to-back bunt singles loaded the bases with no outs for the Cardinal, who hoped to break the 1-1 tie. Kerpics showed great resolve, cleanly fielding a ball hit back to her and throwing home for the force out before fanning the next two batters to work out of the jam in the ninth.

It was Kerpics’ throwing error in the top of the 10^th that allowed Taylor Gindlesperger to advance from first to third on a bunt single. Gindlesperger scored on a bloop single from Mahler, who would later score on an infield single to secure the 3-1 win in game one.

Game two showcased a talented Freshman in the circle for Stanford as Canady pitched a complete game, three hit shutout with nine strikeouts. Not bad for her first ranked start of the season.

The Georgia hitters struggled against Canady, whose spin and velocity produced eight strikeouts swinging and a handful of soft pop ups. Two of the three hits scattered against Canady were bunt singles, with Jaiden Fields’ single to right in the bottom of the seventh being the only base hit that left the infield for the Bulldogs.

Kerpics got the start in game two for UGA, pitching 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and three runs while walking one and striking out one. Kerpics was replaced by Walters in the top of the fifth after giving up back-to-back hits that plated one run to make it a 2-0 game. One more run would score in the inning to give Stanford a 3-0 lead before Walters was able to stop the bleeding, but the Bulldog offense was unable to break Canady, earning Stanford the road sweep over Georgia.

For a Georgia team that struggled in the circle a season ago, the combination of Walters and Kerpics gives the Bulldogs a solid one-two punch. Despite the result, both pitchers showed their veteran reliability and with an offense that returned an overwhelming majority of its production from a season ago while adding key transfers and freshmen, Georgia can be a dark horse to return to the WCWS in 2023.

For Stanford, Vawter and Canady might be one of the best pitching duos in the nation and give the Cardinal a legitimate shot at Oklahoma City this season. With a strong defense behind them and a well-rounded offense that features bright young stars and proven veterans, Stanford is definitely a team to watch this season. Who says you need to hit the long ball to be successful? Stanford is an old-school team that relies on pitching, defense and small ball, a breath of fresh air in the modern era of softball.