Coming off a win against Pittsburgh (20-32, 7-17 ACC) the day before, No. 16 Stanford (40-11, 16-8 ACC) fell to No. 21 Duke (38-15, 16-8 ACC) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. 

Duke came out strong with two runs in the first three innings of the game, and Stanford never recovered despite having runners in scoring position in the fourth inning. Ultimately, the Blue Devils’ balanced performance, including a three-run home run, shut out the Cardinal. The game ended 7-0 and was the first time all season that the Stanford offense failed to score a run.

The day before, the Cardinal put up a strong performance against the Panthers, dominating en route to a 9-2 victory. The team’s pitching staff surrendered two runs in the first two innings, but they pitched a shutout in the remaining frames as senior Kylie Ching earned the win with her four-inning outing. The win put the Cardinal’s overall record at 40-10, which marked their third season in a row with 40+ wins. Senior Allie Clements hit a home run early in the game, her sixth of the season this year and ninth overall in her career.

The quarterfinal exit is a disappointing ending for a squad loaded with talent. Seven members of the team made their way to ACC all-star teams. Junior River Mahler was on the first team for the second time in her career, the first being as a player in the Pac-12. Junior Kyra Chan, sophomore Alyssa Houston and junior Emily Jones made the second team. Sophomore Jade Berry, junior Taryn Kern and freshman Joie Economides were on the third team.This is Kern’s third time being selected to an all-star team. Economides also secured a spot on the All-Freshman team.

Despite the loss, Stanford’s season may not be over yet. The team will now wait for the NCAA Championship selection show on May 11 to see if their season continues.