Senior Mary Ratliff hit a walk off three-run home run for the seventh-ranked Florida Gators (24-1) to power them to a 4-3 victory over the No. 8 Stanford softball team (20-2) yesterday.

The Cardinal scored three runs — two on bases-loaded walks — in the top of the sixth to take a 3-1 lead, setting the stage for Ratliff’s heroics.

After a lead-off single and a walk, Ratliff drove a 2-2 pitch over the left center field fence to end the game.

Stanford was playing its fifth game of the Worth Classic in Fullerton, Calif. The Cardinal had dominated its first four games of the tournament, winning by a combined score of 37-8. No team Stanford played was nearly as good as the Gators, however.

During the tournament junior pitcher Missy Penna became only the second Stanford pitcher ever to record 600 career strikeouts.

The Cardinal managed only five hits against Gator pitcher Stacey Nelson, squandering the few opportunities Nelson gave Stanford after she walked five batters.

It was only the second loss in what has been an extremely impressive season thus far for the Cardinal. The other loss also came in the last game of a tournament one week ago to No. 25 Texas.

Head coach John Rittman was impressed with his team’s performance over the course of the weekend, but stressed the need for Stanford to close out its final games better.

“It was a tough loss. We have to be resilient and figure out how to win close games on Sundays,” Rittman said.

Stanford can take some positives from the weekend, though: especially its dominance in the first four games.

The Cardinal opened the tournament Friday with a resounding 13-5 victory over St. John’s.

Stanford began the game with a bang as sophomore center fielder Alissa Haber hit her first of two home runs to lead off the game for the Cardinal. Three batters later, Michelle Smith hit a three-run blast — her first of four home runs on the weekend — to continue what would become a six-run first inning.

Sophomore second baseman Shannon Koplitz also homered for the Cardinal, while junior shortstop Maddy Coon filled up the box score with four walks, a hit, two runs scored and an RBI.

Freshman Ashley Chinn picked up the victory in the circle, going 5.2 innings and allowing just four hits and three runs.

Stanford picked up right where it left off in the second game, run-ruling the Louisville Cardinals, 9-1.

Sophomore catcher Rosey Neill homered — as she would also do in the next two games — and freshman first baseman Melisa Koutz had two hits and four RBI to lead the Cardinal offense.

This was more than enough support for Penna, who did not allow an earned run while striking out 13 en route to her 12th win of the season.

On Saturday Stanford swept another doubleheader, taking the first game from Texas Tech, 9-2, and the second from Purdue, 6-0.

In the first game, the Cardinal destroyed Red Raider pitching to the tune of 15 hits including three home runs — one each for Smith, Neill and senior left fielder Tricia Aggabao.

Coon and Smith each had three hits in the win.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Penna allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out ten in the complete game shutout.

With her second strikeout of the day — a second inning punch-out of Purdue right fielder Beth Cinadr — Penna eclipsed the 600-strikeout plateau. The only other Cardinal pitcher to ever reach that total was three time All-American Dana Sorenson ‘04.

“Missy is fantastic.,” Rittman said “She has matured so much since coming to Stanford. She really keeps her composure on the mound and has learned to pitch and not just be a thrower.”

Smith and Neill yet again led the offense with two hits and a home run each. Neill knocked in three runs, while Smith knocked in two.

Haber had another strong game from the lead-off spot, going 3-for-3 with a walk.

Rittman was extremely impressed with the contributions he has been getting from his entire lineup.

“I’m proud of how we’ve been playing,” he said. “Each game a different part of the lineup contributes, and each win is a team effort.”

The Cardinal has gotten production from each starter, with six regulars hitting above .300 and seven with double digit RBI totals.

Stanford will look to rebound from its heartbreaking loss to the Gators when it returns home Tuesday for a non-conference match-up with Boston College at 2 p.m.