Stanford is the last team left in the Pac-12.
NiJaree Canady struck out eight and went the distance as the Cardinal defeated UCLA 3-1 on Sunday night to reach the semifinals of the Women's College World Series and eliminate the Bruins.
Stanford won the last game between Pac-12 teams before the league split. UCLA will be in the Big Ten next season, while Stanford will join the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Canady said the quality of the final game was appropriate.
“I think what made it even more special was that it was a really good game for both sides, just to show again the power that Pac-12 softball has,” she said. “It was really cool that it was a really good game.”
Canady allowed just three hits and no walks to the eighth-seeded Cardinal (50-16), who reached the semifinals for the second straight year.
“They're tough,” UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez said. “NiJaree is tough. They showed up and executed tonight. I wish them the best as they represent the last of the Pac.”
Megan Grant's solo home run was the highlight for No. 6 UCLA (43-12).
UCLA won all three regular season meetings.
“Our series against UCLA during the regular season was kind of a turning point in our season, where we didn't play the way we wanted to,” Stanford coach Jessica Allister said. “It felt like we got a little punch in the gut. We started having to come back from there. I think as far as how the season is going, that was probably the lowest point of our season.”
The Cardinal improved to 5-0 in elimination games this season.
Stanford will play No. 1 Texas in the semifinals on Monday. The Cardinal will need to win twice to advance to the best-of-three championship series, while Texas will need just one win to advance.
Canady, the USA Softball College Player of the Year, shut out Oklahoma State on Friday, but banged her leg while throwing a pitch late in the game, making her status uncertain.
I was more than ready. He threw strikes on 71 of his 97 pitches.
“She's incredibly competitive,” Allister said. “I think that's a little bit of her superhuman power. I know she feels like she has a lot of them. Maybe the most important is that she wants to be in those moments. In those moments, she's not afraid. She's aggressive, she's assertive and she believes she can do it.” “
A solo shot by Grant in the second opened the scoring.
Stanford gave Canady some run support in the third. Taryn Kern's RBI double tied the score, then Kern scored on Ava Gall's single to put the Cardinal up 2-1.
Stanford got back-to-back bunt singles from Emily Jones and Kailyn Kim at the bottom of the order to start the fifth. Pinch-hitter Allie Clements' sacrifice fly scored Jones to make the score 3-1.
Down to her final strike, UCLA's Savannah Pola was hit in the hand by a pitch, then Thessa Malau'ulu singled to make it two with two outs. Canady got pinch-hitter Ramsey Suarez to ground out.
Now, Stanford turns its attention to Texas.
“They're good in all three phases of the game,” Allister said. “Can pitch, hit, defend. Great pitching staff with a lot of different looks. They've put together a deep, competitive team. There's a reason they were the number one seed overall. We're going to have to play good softball tomorrow.”
In the previous game on Sunday, No. 4 seed Florida beat No. 14 Alabama 6-4 to advance to the semifinals and eliminate the Crimson Tide.
Jocelyn Erickson had great success and earned an opportunity with her former team, Oklahoma.
Florida will play the three-time defending national champion Sooners in the semifinals on Monday. Erickson, a receiver, won a national championship with Oklahoma last season. The Gators will have to beat the Sooners twice to reach the best-of-three championship series, while Oklahoma will need just one win to advance.
“It'll be fun to see some old friends,” Erickson said. “It's definitely going to be a competitive semi-final, so let's go for it.”
Erickson broke a tie with Megan Bush for the school's single-season RBI record and now has 84. Bush set the previous record of 80 in 2011.
Korbe Otis and Ariel Kowalewski each added two hits for the Gators (53-14) in a game that started three hours late due to rain and lightning.
Florida pitcher Keagan Rothrock bounced back from a poor outing against Texas the night before. The freshman allowed three earned runs and seven hits against Alabama and now stands alone as the nation's leader with 32 wins.
“I think he turned the page,” Erickson said. “She was hitting better, more focused, more determined. Yesterday was a learning curve. It's her first year. I'm very proud of her for turning the page.”
Kayla Beaver started for Alabama and allowed two runs and six hits in four innings. Jocelyn Briski suffered the loss in relief for the Crimson Tide (39-20).
The Crimson Tide finished ninth in the Southeastern Conference during the regular season, but won their regional at home and then beat third-seeded Tennessee on the road in the super regionals. Alabama lost its World Series opener to UCLA and then beat Duke to keep the season alive.
“This is a team whose legacy will be that they didn't give up on each other, they kept working,” Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “No matter what you do in the regular season, you get a completely fresh start and you can start again. I think they showed everyone that it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish.”
Alabama opened the scoring against Florida in the second. Bailey Dowling came up after a fielding error and scored on Riley Valentine's groundout.
Florida tied it in the third when Erickson's single knocked out Skylar Wallace. Otis scored on a fielder's choice after following up with a walk to put the Gators up 2-1.
Alabama tied it at 2 in the third when Marlie Giles singled to score Lauren Johnson.
Reagan Walsh singled and scored a run in the fifth to put Florida back in front.
Erickson came up with runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth, and Alabama switched from Briski to Alea Johnson to give it a different look. Erickson took a pitch from Johnson over the center field wall to make the score 6-2.
Alabama held firm. Kali Heivilin's RBI single in the sixth made the score 6-4. But Rothrock put the Crimson Tide right in the seventh.
Now, the Gators could derail Oklahoma's attempt to become the first team to win four consecutive national titles.
“I'm excited for the matchup,” Florida coach Tim Walton said. “When you come to the Women's College World Series, you get a chance to play against Oklahoma, you're doing something right. I'm looking forward to it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
