STANFORD, Calif. – Trailing 5-1 headed to the bottom of the fourth, Stanford (16-20, 8-9 Pac-12) scored three in the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-4, but No. 16 Oregon (27-11, 11-6 Pac-12) outscored the Cardinal 12-1 over the final three innings to earn a 17-5 victory and even a three-game Pac-12 series.
Trevor Haskins and Owen Cobb each homered in the three-run fifth, and Cort MacDonald drove home Ethan Hott with a single. Hott, who has hit safely in four straight games, had previously reached with a double – one of four extra-base hits for the Cardinal.
Now trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth, Stanford got the tying run into scoring position with two outs as Charlie Saum singled and moved to second on an errant throw charged Oregon third baseman Carter Garate. Temo Becerra contributed the two-out single one play later, but Saum was thrown out by left fielder Justin Cassella trying to score from second base.
Saum finished the game 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and one RBI. His solo shot, one of three on the day for Stanford, put Stanford on the board in the second inning.
Oregon utilized the long ball down the stretch to blow the game wide open, receiving a three-run shot from Chase Meggers in the seventh, and a pair of two-run homers from Mason Neville and Jacob Walsh to cap a seven-run eighth inning.
Freshman Christian Lim was charged with the loss after allowing eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out nine. The left-hander dropped to 3-4 on the year.
Oregon starter Grayson Grinsell was credited with the win and improved to 5-2 after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six innings.
Stanford will host Oregon in the rubber game of the series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford had a three-game win streak snapped with the loss on Saturday … has lost 14 of the last 22 overall.
- The 17 runs allowed are the most for the Cardinal this season … Stanford has allowed double-digit runs 10 times this year.
- Saum (3-for-4, HR, 2 R, RBI) has hit safely and is batting .389 (7-for-18) with seven runs scored, two doubles, two homers and six RBIs over the last four games.
- Cobb (1-for-3, HR, R, RBI) connected for his seventh homer of the year … has hit safely in 10 of his last 14 games, managing multiple hits in eight of those contests.
- MacDonald (2-for-5) has hit safely in four straight, 12 of his last 13 games, and 18 of his last 20, while reaching in all but three of his games played this year.
- Trevor Haskins (1-for-3, HR, R, RBI) has hit safely in five straight, 14 of his last 15, and 18 of his last 22, games overall.