STANFORD, Calif. – No. 2 Stanford continued to struggle in a 10-0 loss against No. 3 Oregon State on Saturday at Goss Stadium.
"We have to learn from this," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "We're asking a lot of our younger players to take on a lot of responsibility at the moment, and we certainly need to come back tomorrow and play much better than we have over last couple days."
The Cardinal (38-8 overall, 17-6 Pac-12) couldn't get anything going all afternoon, registering just four hits despite several more hard-hit balls. All four of Stanford's hits came from the top three in the order, led by Beau Branton's two. Nico Hoerner added a triple and Tim Tawa doubled in the first, but Stanford failed to capitalize.
The Beavers (38-7-1, 16-6-1) started the scoring in the third inning, with Nick Madrigal's triple off the right-field wall scoring two runs before a passed ball allowed him to score. Trevor Larnach homered in the fifth to make it 5-0, a single to center field in the sixth brought home another and the Beavers tacked on four more in the bottom of the eighth to open up a 10-run lead.
Starter Kris Bubic lasted 4.1 innings, striking out five and allowing five runs, all earned. Zach Grech relieved Bubic, allowing one run on three hits in 2.2 innings. Carson Rudd pitched the eighth, surrendering four runs, all of which were earned.
"We are going to have to play teams this good if we are going to get to where we want to be," said Esquer. "It's about growth, and I'm willing to stay positive and ride with this team through everything – they've given me no indication that they will stop fighting."
No. 2 Stanford returns to action on Sunday for the series finale at Noon PT. The contest will air on Pac-12 Networks with live statistics available at GoStanford.com.
Cardinal Notes
- It was the first time Stanford has lost a start by Bubic since April 14, 2017 – the Cardinal had won his previous 19 starts.
- A Goss Stadium record 3,864 were in attendance on Saturday, setting the attendance record for the second straight day.
- Christian Molfetta replaced Bryce Carter after 3.0 innings – Matthew Decker replaced him for the eighth.
- It was the first time this season Stanford has lost consecutive games.
- The winner of tomorrow's matchup will sit atop the Pac-12 standings with Oregon State currently 0.5 games behind the Cardinal.