Stanford softball (16-19, 1-5 Pac-12) is headed north this weekend, as it looks to earn some key conference wins in its upcoming series against No. 20 Washington (31-9, 3-5).
The Cardinal, winners of just two of their last seven games, will be looking to get back on track as conference play approaches full swing. However, after two unimpressive series against Oregon State and Utah, the team gained a semblance of momentum when it rebounded with a 9-7 win against Pacific on Tuesday.
Yet Washington will surely prove to be a tougher opponent than Pacific. The Huskies, one of the best teams in the country, have posted a .339 team batting average this season in comparison to Stanford’s .293. Washington just concluded an away series against No. 7 Oregon during which it lost two of three games, and while its 3-5 record has the team at seventh in the Pac-12, the record is misleading given how strong the Pac-12 has been this year.
As a big part of Stanford’s offense all season long, Kayla Bonstrom will once again be a crucial part of Stanford’s chances. The slugger continued her torrid season by batting in six of Stanford’s nine runs against Pacific. She currently leads the team by an overwhelming margin with 42 RBIs to go along with a .476 batting average.
In the circle, Kylie Sorenson, Haley Snyder and Tylyn Wells will look to limit the damage against a potent Washington offense.
The series will consist of two 5 p.m. games on Thursday and Friday, with a 2 p.m. finale on Saturday.
Contact Sandip Srinivas at sandips ‘at’ stanford.edu.