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TEMPE, Ariz. – Stanford broke open what was a close game with six unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning and the No. 18/20 Cardinal defeated Portland State, 12-4, at the Kajikawa Classic on Saturday night.

Portland State's three-game winning streak came to an end in the process as they fell to 3-2. Stanford improved to 3-1.

The Cardinal scored three runs in the top of the first, getting two on a home run by Danielle Miller to right field.

PSU answered with a solo run in the bottom of the second when Crysta Conn doubled in Arielle Wiser.

Both teams then scored once in the fifth. Jenna Becerra had a RBI-double for the Cardinal, while the Vikings took advantage of three walks issued by Stanford starter Ashley Chinn and scored on Sadie Lopez' sac fly to dead center with the bases loaded.

Stanford pushed its lead to 6-2 on Miller's second two-run homer of the game, with this one also going over the right field fence.

Wiser got the Vikings back within 6-4 after she belted PSU's first home run of the season, a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the sixth.

The seventh started with Stanford's Melissa Koutz reaching on a Vikings' throwing error. Anna Bertrand bounced back to get the next two outs, but then another error extended the inning and the Cardinal took advantage of the extra at-bats. They scored six unearned runs and pounded out five hits, but none of it should have happened as PSU's three errors prolonged the inning.

Wiser led Portland State with two hits in three at-bats. Conn and Sadie Lopez each drove in a run for the Vikings.

Miller was the offensive star for Stanford, going 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run home runs. Stanford finished with 11 hits, getting two each from Sarah Hassmann and Jenna Rich.

Chinn got the win for Stanford, allowing four earned runs in 5 1/3 innings before getting chased from the game by Wiser's home run. She struck out eight.

Teagan Gerheart struck out four in 1 2/3 innings of relief for Stanford.

NOTES: Bertrand suffered the loss to fall to 2-1. She had eight strikeouts before leaving in the top of the seventh after getting hit by a line drive. Nichole Latham came on in relief ... the Cardinal lead the all-time series with PSU, 8-7 ... Lopez tallied PSU's first sacrifice flyout of the season ... Conn, Wiser and Jenna Krogh each have at least one hit in four of PSU's five games. Wiser has a four-game hitting streak going into tomorrow ... Wiser's homer was the fifth of her career ... Stanford was ranked No. 18 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll and No. 20 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches preseason poll.

LINESCORE:

Stanford 12, Portland State 4 (Feb 12, 2011 at Tempe, Ariz.)
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Stanford............ 300 012 6 - 12 11  0      (3-1)
Portland State...... 010 012 0 -  4  4  3      (3-2)
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Pitchers: Stanford - Chinn, Ashley; Gerhart, Teagan(6) and Burns, Maya. Portland State -
BERTRAND, Anna; LATHAM, Nichole(7) and NORRIE, Kayla.
Win-Chinn, Ashley(2-0)  Loss-BERTRAND, Anna(2-1)  T-2:43  A-120
HR STAN - Rich, Jenna; Miller, Danielle 2.
HR PSU - WISER, Arielle (1).
Weather: 67; Clear