Behind a bounce-back performance from standout pitcher NiJaree Canady, the Stanford softball team lived to play another day.
Canady struck out nine and allowed just two hits over seven innings to help the Cardinal earn a 3-0 win over LSU in Game 2 of the Stanford Super Regional on Saturday, forcing a decisive Game 3 on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
The winner advances to the Women’s College World Series, which begins next week in Oklahoma City. Stanford is looking to go for the second straight season.
Stanford (47-15) opened the scoring in the third inning. After sophomore Taryn Kern crushed a two-out triple off the top of the right-field wall, Kyra Chan brought her home with an RBI double.
The No. 8 Cardinal then added two insurance runs in the seventh. Emily Jones doubled to right to score River Mahler, and Chan singled to score Jones for a 3-0 Cardinal lead over the ninth-ranked Tigers (44-16).
Stanford finished with seven hits, and Chan, a sophomore, was 3-for-4.
That was enough offense for Canady (22-5), the Pac-12 pitcher of the year who didn’t allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth, when she surrendered a leadoff double. The sophomore responded with three straight strikeouts to strand the runner and send the Cardinal to the sixth with a 1-0 lead.
Stanford lost 11-1 to LSU in Game 1 on Friday as Canady gave up six runs, five earned, on 10 hits with six strikeouts over four innings. Her replacement, Regan Krause, faced six batters and recorded just one out, allowing five runs on five hits, including two homers.