Stanford Softball Falls to No. 4 Duke in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

Will the Cardinal still qualify for the NCAA Regionals?

Nov 15, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; General view of the Stanford logo before the start of the first half between the Stanford Cardinal and San Diego State Aztecs at Maples Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images | Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

And just like that, the Stanford Cardinal's ACC tournament run has come to an end. After taking down No. 12 seed Pittsburgh to advance to the quarterfinals, the No. 5 seed Cardinal (40-11, 16-8 ACC) took on No. 4 seed Duke in the quarterfinals, but fell 7-0 to see their debut ACC tournament appearance come to an end.

While the Cardinal put on a valiant fight, the Blue Devils controlled the game from the start, scoring in the bottom of the first inning and never looking back. It all started when Duke catcher, Kairi Rodriguez, hit an RBI single to left field, scoring the runner from third to put Duke up 1-0.

But Stanford managed to keep things as is for the next couple of innings despite being unable to score, thanks to good pitching and defense.

But Duke was not done. In the third inning, they went up 2-0 after designated player, KK Mathis, hit an RBI double to left field, which brought in Aminah Vega. The fourth inning saw the score remain the same before Duke struck again in the fifth.

But this time, Duke was able to really pull away after a Rodriguez home run in the bottom of the fifth tacked on three more, extending the Blue Devil lead to 5-0.

Duke capped things off in the bottom of the sixth when third baseman Thessa Malau'ulu hit a two RBI double to left center field, extending the Duke lead to 7-0. And with the Cardinal unable to muster anything during the game, that proved to be all that Duke needed to take home the win.

Taking the loss on the mound for Stanford was Alyssa Houston, who allowed four runs on four hits, two walks and a strikeout through 2.2 innings of work, dropping her record to 14-2 on the season. Kylie Chung and Zoe Prystajko also pitched, with Chung going one inning, allowing only one hit and Prystajko allowing three runs on one hit and two strikeouts over 2.1 innings of work.

With the loss, the Cardinal will now await their fate for the NCAA tournament, with the regionals set to begin on May 15.

Despite losing in the second round, a strong season from the Cardinal should get them into the tournament, where they will look to advance all the way to the Women's College World Series for the third consecutive season. Matchups, game times and regional hosts will be announced at a later date-- most likely right after the ACC tournament ends this weekend.