Senior Allie Clements blasted two home runs to help Stanford’s 18th-ranked women’s softball team knock off No. 1-ranked Texas 9-5 in the Hillenbrand Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. on Friday afternoon.
The Cardinal (11-1) scored the eventual game-winning runs on River Mahler’s two-run single that snapped a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning. Then Joie Economides put an exclamation point on the inning with a three-run homer to break the game open.
The win means Stanford has now defeated a top-2 team in the country for the third time since last season. The Cardinal had victories over No. 2 Tennessee and No. 2 Texas last February.
Clements, who entered the tournament with three career home runs, doubled her output over three consecutive at-bats. She homered in her final at-bat in a 4-1 loss to Arizona in Thursday’s opener, then belted homers in her first two trips to the plate Friday.
Stanford’s sophomore pitcher Alyssa Houston struck out seven batters in 6.1 innings of relief, setting a new career high while picking up the win.
The Cardinal will face Colorado State Saturday at 4:30 p.m. on the third day of the Hillenbrand Invitational at the University of Arizona.