This Friday, Stanford softball (28-6, 5-1 Pac-12) hosts the first of three games against the Utah Utes (13-24, 2-7 Pac-12) to be played throughout the weekend.  

The upcoming game against the Utes will mark Stanford’s seventh game in Pac-12 play, where it currently stands in third in the conference following the nationally ranked No. 8 Arizona Wildcats (32-7, 12-0 Pac-12) and the No. 1 UCLA Bruins (35-1, 9-0 Pac-12).

This weekend follows the team’s second straight victory, where Stanford successfully won a mid-week road game against Santa Clara (8-26) this past Tuesday. The game celebrated the talented Cardinal offense, who scored 13 runs with 15 hits. Freshman center fielder Taylor Gindlesperger crushed a grand slam for her first home-run of the season and finished the day with five RBI.

Starting with a 9-3 triumph in the Stanford-Cal rivalry in March, the Cardinal has demonstrated a stellar start in the Pac-12 so far. It was a victorious turnaround for Stanford — the team’s first win over Cal since March 2014. If Stanford wins this weekend’s match against Utah, this game, too, could mark a turnaround following a five-game losing streak against the Utes.

The Utes, on the other hand, are coming off a brutal series against the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats, who outscored the Utah team 48-3 through a three game series. The Wildcats scored at least 13 runs in all three contests, taking advantage of the Utah pitchers.

The Cardinal will start play against the Utes at 7 p.m. on Friday, 3 p.m. on Saturday and 12 p.m. on Sunday.

Contact Inyoung Choi at ichoi ‘at’ stanford.edu.