Big Inning Leads the WayBig Inning Leads the Way
Karen Ambrose Hickey/Stanford Athletics
Baseball

Big Inning Leads the Way

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford evened the series with California after an emphatic 14-1 win on Friday night at Sunken Diamond.

"We didn't play a great ball game yesterday by any means, so tonight was a good answer," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "I thought it was a great response from our whole team. We just got off a weekend where we had a hard time scoring early, so it was nice to see the big inning early in the game."

The Cardinal (32-6 overall, 13-4) plated a season-high 10 runs in the second inning, capped by Maverick Handley's second home run of the season. Kyle Stowers had a team-high three hits, coming around to score on all three. Andrew Daschbach, Handley and Christian Robinson had two hits apiece, and Handley led Stanford with four RBI.

Tim Tawa scored twice, hitting his sixth home run of the season in the sixth inning. Robinson and Stowers had two RBI, with Nico Hoerner, Daschbach, Bryce Carter and Alec Wilson driving in one run apiece.

"You're right, Iceman....I am dangerous." @MaverickHandley #GoStanford

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Carter started the 10-run inning with an RBI single, followed by Robinson's two run double to score Carter and Handley. Alec Wilson made it back-to-back doubles, Nico Hoerner reached on a fielder's choice and Daschbach singled to make it 6-0. Stowers' RBI single to right made it 7-0 before Handley's three-run home run to left field.

Starting pitcher Tristan Beck earned the win, his sixth of the season and third in as many starts. Beck looked strong from start to finish, scattering four hits and four walks across 6.0 innings, striking out three and allowing just one run.

"Beck was outstanding on the mound tonight, and we really needed a big outing from him with some of our pitchers unavailable," said Esquer, who spent 18 seasons as head coach at Cal before starting at Stanford in June.

The Golden Bears (24-16, 10-10) scored their only run of the night in the sixth, but the Cardinal responded in the bottom half with three more, including Tawa's solo home run. Freshman Carson Rudd relieved Beck, posting 2.0 innings of shutout ball while allowing no hits and two walks. John Henry Styles pitched a scoreless ninth inning.

No. 2 Stanford and Cal return to the diamond for the rubber match tomorrow evening at 7 p.m. PT with Kris Bubic expected to start for the Cardinal against Aaron Shortridge. The game will air on Pac-12 Networks with live statistics available at GoStanford.com.

Cardinal Notes

  • All nine Cardinal had reached base by the end of the second inning.
  • Ten runs was the most Stanford had scored in an inning this season.
  • Beck has surrendered just two earned runs in his last 19.0 innings pitched, lowering his season ERA to 2.78.
  • Nick Oar, Nick Brueser, Jesse Kuet and Christian Molfetta entered late in the game as defensive replacements – they each had one at-bat.

--#GoStanford--