Clutch hitting and a big fourth inning brought Stanford softball (17-22, 0-12 Pac-12) its first win in over a month as it overcame Santa Clara (11-29, 3-3 WCC) 6-5 on Tuesday night. This victory extended Stanford’s win streak over Santa Clara to 47 games.

Although Santa Clara led for much of Tuesday’s contest, the Cardinal were able to come back to claim a lead as they tacked on four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Stanford led off the inning with consecutive singles by junior Arden Pettit and senior Lauren Bertroy, and junior Victoria Molina walked to load the bases with one out. Senior Kylie Sorenson came through with a double down the left-field line to score two runs. A two-out single by freshman Kristina Inouye plated Molina and Sorenson to give Stanford a 5-4 lead.

The Cardinal’s first run had come on a first-inning RBI single by Inouye, who went 2-for-3 with a walk on the night.

After a scoreless fifth inning, Santa Clara tied the score in the top of the sixth with a walk and a double, but Stanford did not go down quietly, scoring its sixth and final run in the bottom of the frame. Freshman Hannah Howell led off with a single, and a Sorenson groundout advanced Howell to second. After a walk by Inouye, senior Bessie Noll came up clutch with a double to left-center field that sent Howell home and allowed the Cardinal to retake the lead.

Sophomore Carolyn Lee, who came on in relief, shut the door on Stanford’s victory, putting up a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. Lee finished the night with six strikeouts and one run on just two hits in 4.0 innings. Freshman Nikki Bauer, who got the start in the circle, put in 3.0 innings of work, allowing four runs, only two of which were earned.

Up next, the Cardinal will take on Oregon State in a three-game series in Corvallis. First pitch is at 3 p.m. on Friday, 1 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday. Friday’s game will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.