EUGENE, Ore. – Brandon Wulff hit two home runs to propel No. 4 Stanford to a series-opening, 5-4 win over Oregon on Thursday night at PK Park.
"That was a gritty performance from our guys," said the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "We left a lot of guys on base and got ourselves in some difficult spots, but we stuck with it and got a huge shot in the arm from Wulff. Pac-12 games on the road are never easy and I credit the toughness of this team for making the difference tonight."
Wulff finished 3-for-4 with two home runs and a double, Duke Kinamon hit a two-run home run and Jack Little earned a six-out save to shut the door with Oregon knocking on the doorstep. Starter Brendan Beck (W, 3-2) battled through 5.0 innings and the Cardinal (25-6-0, 11-2-0 Pac-12) improved to 9-2 in one-run games.
.@brandon_wulff was FEELIN it tonight with 2 big flies and 10 total bases. #GoStanford pic.twitter.com/hYbthXdWlp
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 19, 2019
The Ducks (22-14, 7-6 Pac-12) took an early lead on Jonny DeLuca's RBI double in the bottom of the first, but starter Brendan Beck stranded two runners to limit the damage to one. Stanford immediately responded in the second as Wulff blasted his ninth home run of the season after Daschbach's lead-off double to make it 2-1, Cardinal.
Beck stranded two runners in the second and Oregon tied the game in the third inning on a solo home run from Spencer Steer. Stanford had golden opportunities to score in the third and fourth innings but each frame ended with a bases-loaded double play.
Beck settled in, putting up zeroes in the fourth and fifth innings before Stanford's three-run sixth inning regained the advantage. Wulff's second home run of the day, a solo shot to straightaway left field, made it 3-2 and Kinamon's two-out, two-run blast to right field put the Cardinal on top by three.
The Ducks cut into the lead in the sixth and seventh innings, manufacturing a run in each inning to make it 5-4 in favor of Stanford. Brendan Beck departed after 5.0+ innings, scattering nine hits while allowing three runs. Jacob Palisch replaced him, striking out the side in the sixth before working the seventh. Palisch finished 2.0 innings with three strikeouts while allowing one run, which was unearned.
Doesn't get much better than this. ?? #GoStanford
A post shared by Stanford Baseball?? (@stanfordbsb) on Apr 18, 2019 at 8:31pm PDT
Stanford went away quietly in the top of the eighth before Little entered to start the home half. After allowing a lead-off single and a sacrifice bunt to put a runner in scoring position with one out, Little struck out a pair to strand the tying run. He returned in the ninth, mowing down three Ducks in a row to seal the win – Little's 24th career save ranks third in program history behind Steve Chitren (26) and Colton Hock (25).
No. 4 Stanford returns to the diamond on Friday at 4 p.m. for Game 2 of the three-game series. The game will air on Pac-12 Networks with live statistics available at GoStanford.com. Saturday's finale will stream live at GoStanford.com with first pitch scheduled for Noon.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford improves to19-1 when leading after seven innings.
- Wulff's 10 total bases were the most since Daschbach had 10 total bases at UCLA on April 7, 2018. Wulff, who extended his reached-base streak to nine games, hit multiple home runs for the second time this season.
- It was Stanford's ninth multi-home run game of the season and fifth in the past seven games.