No. 13 Stanford Softball Dominates Broncos in Weekend Sweep

Cardinal caps off weekend with two wins, including a 11-3 victory over Santa Clara in six innings

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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No. 13 Stanford softball defeated Boise State 3-2 and Santa Clara 11-3 in six innings on Sunday, capping off a successful weekend for the Cardinal. Freshman Elena Krause picked up the win in the Santa Clara game, while Taryn Kern had a standout performance at the plate with a two-run home run. The wins came after Stanford had dropped games earlier in the weekend to No. 2 Texas and No. 16 Arizona.

Why it matters

The weekend sweep was an important bounce-back for Stanford after suffering a couple losses earlier in the weekend. The wins also marked head coach Jessica Allister's 300th career victory, a significant milestone for the program. The Cardinal will now look to carry this momentum into ACC play, starting with a road series at Louisville.

The details

In the win over Santa Clara, Stanford rallied from an early 3-1 deficit, scoring six runs in the 4th and 5th innings to pull away. Taryn Kern's two-run home run in the 6th inning ended the game early via the run-rule. Earlier in the day, the Cardinal defeated Boise State 3-2 in a come-from-behind victory, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 7th inning to win it.

  • On Sunday, February 22, 2026, No. 13 Stanford softball defeated Santa Clara 11-3 in six innings.
  • On Sunday, February 22, 2026, No. 13 Stanford softball defeated Boise State 3-2 earlier in the day.

The players

Jessica Allister

The head coach of the Stanford softball team, who earned her 300th career victory with the wins on Sunday.

Elena Krause

The freshman pitcher for Stanford who picked up the win in the game against Santa Clara, pitching all 6.0 innings.

Taryn Kern

The Stanford player who hit a two-run home run in the 6th inning of the Santa Clara game to end it via the run-rule.

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What they’re saying

“Man, I'm really, really proud of them today. I thought today was a real character day. I think after, you know, taking a couple to the chin the last couple of days and then coming out and the first one being tough, digging in and finding a way to come back in the seventh inning was really important for us and really impressive.”

— Jessica Allister, Stanford head coach (on3.com)

“Yeah, it was great. And I think that it's great to see some big hits for our team. We had a couple games where we were like struggling at the plate a little bit. So, to get some squared up balls out of the infield was just great. Great for the team.”

— Taryn Kern (on3.com)

What’s next

Stanford will hit the road to open ACC play with a series at Louisville, with the first game scheduled for Friday at 3:00 PM PT.

The takeaway

After a tough start to the weekend, Stanford's softball team showed resilience and character by bouncing back with two dominant wins on Sunday. The Cardinal's balanced offensive attack and strong pitching performance from freshman Elena Krause were key factors in the team's success, which should provide momentum heading into conference play.