PULLMAN, Wash. – No. 3 Stanford emphatically clinched a three-game sweep of Washington State with a 14-2 win on Sunday at Bailey-Brayton Field.
"These are the tough games to win with the series already clinched on the road, but I credit our guys for staying focused and being ready to play today," said the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "I had a feeling Nick Bellafronto and Nick Brueser would give us a shot in the arm, and Miller was fantastic after he settled in. A lot of guys are starting to step up and it's great to see a lot of our student-athletes take advantage of their opportunities."
The Cardinal (18-3-0, 6-0-0 Pac-12), which has won nine straight, registered a season-high 17 hits, led by Bellafronto, who reached base five times while driving in two, scoring three times and finishing with four hits, including two doubles. Brueser finished 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs, Kyle Stowers hit his first home run of the season and scored three times, Tim Tawa hit his second homer in as many days with three RBI and Duke Kinamon pitched in a pair of RBI. Andrew Daschbach went 2-for-5 and starter Erik Miller (W, 3-0) was outstanding in 6.0 innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts.
Welp, that was fun. ???? #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/FKGo7a6CRb
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) March 31, 2019
The Cougars (6-20-0, 0-6-0) took the early lead, plating a run in the bottom of the first on a swinging bunt with runners on second and third and two outs. Stanford went down quietly in the first two innings but exploded for eight runs in the third, tying a season high and the joint-most in a frame since Stanford scored 10 in an inning at Utah on May 5, 2018.
Brueser and Bellafronto, who each had two hits in the inning, got things started with back-to-back doubles to tie it up at 1-1. Duke Kinamon and Brandon Wulff brought in runs with RBI singles, Will Matthiessen made it 4-1 with a fielders' choice and, with two outs, Stanford added four more runs.
Daschbach's double brought in Wulff and Stowers' double scored Daschbach before Tawa's towering two-run shot to left field to put a bow on the inning. Stanford finished the frame with 10 hits, including five extra-base hits, giving Miller a comfortable lead.
Miller stranded two runners in each of his first three innings, putting up five straight zeroes on the board after the Cougars scored in the first. The junior exited after 6.0 innings, scattering six hits and one walk while striking out six – he also made a fine play off the mound to end the sixth, his final out of the day.
Stanford made it 9-1 in the sixth with Matthiessen reaching on an error and Bellafronto hustling home from second base to beat the throw home. The Cardinal added three more in the seventh, starting with Tawa's sacrifice fly to deep left field, several feet away from his second home run of the day. Bellafronto's fourth hit of the day, a double into the gap in right center, scored Brueser, and Bellafronto came home on another double into the gap by Kinamon.
Austin Weiermiller relieved Miller, working through a first-and-third jam with one out, aided by a spectacular diving catch in left field by Wulff to end the inning. In the very next frame, Stowers pummeled his first home run of the season to make it 13-1 before Zach Grech relieved Weiermiller.
Grech pitched through a similar jam to that of Weiermiller, stranding runners on first and third. Grant Burton, making his first career plate appearance, made it 14-1 with a sacrifice fly in the ninth, and Nicholas Lopez limited the damage to one run in his first career appearance to finish it off for the Cardinal.
Stanford returns to action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. when it plays host to Fresno State at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal then plays host to No. 1 UCLA for a three-game series, starting Friday at 6 p.m. Live streaming and live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford's 17 hits are a season high – previously, the Cardinal registered 15 against Utah on March 23.
- Stanford's 14 runs tied a season high.
- The Cardinal made just one error in the series.
- All nine Cardinal in the batting order had at least one hit.
- Handley's reached-base streak stands at 22 games – he has reached base safely in all 21 games this season and in his final appearance of 2018.
- Brueser had hits in each of his first four plate appearances to start the series.
- Vincent Martinez made his collegiate debut, pinch hitting for Handley in the ninth.
- Austin Kretszchmar pinch hit in the ninth for Kinamon.