Locals Olivia DiNardo, Kiefer Lord earn Pac-12 honors on the diamond

Meanwhile, University of Washington pitcher Kiefer Lord, a 2020 Menlo School graduate, was named Pac-12 Baseball Pitcher of the Week after firing six perfect innings Saturday to earn the win in the Huskies’ 6-0 victory over Northern Colorado.

DiNardo’s streak of 10 straight hits started Friday with a first-inning single against Texas A&M-Commerce, in the early stages of an 11-run inning. DiNardo would add an RBI double later in the inning, and go 4 for 4 in the 14-0 victory.

DiNardo added three perfect batting lines Saturday, going 1 for 1 against Nebraska; 3 for 3 against Texas A&M-Commerce; and 2 for 2 against Cal State Northridge. All told on the week, the left-handed hitting catcher went 12 for 14 with five doubles and seven RBIs.

The San Mateo native is currently leading the Pac-12 with a .510 batting average.

A four-year standout at Aragon, DiNardo tallied a career .634 batting average for the Dons, and earned the triple crown in the PAL Bay Division as a senior, hitting .606 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs.

Lord, a junior transfer from the NCAA Division III program at Carleton College, was dazzling in Seattle, setting down all 18 batters he faced, striking out 10. Grant Cunningham allowed one hit through three innings to combine on a one-hit shutout.

A San Carlos native, Lord is now 2-0 on the year. He picked up his first win of 2023 in a 3-2 in Feb. 25 at San Jose State. His only previous start was a no-decision at Santa Clara University. Saturday’s outing was the right-hander’s first career appearance at Husky Ballpark.

Lord’s senior season at Menlo was overshadowed by the COVID pandemic, as the Knights only played three games in 2020.

Last season at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, where he won two legs of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitching triple crown with a conference-best 1.65 ERA and 81 strikeouts.

DiNardo was also named Pac-12 Softball Freshman of the Week.