In enemy territory, No. 20 Stanford Baseball (17-10, 4-5 Pac-12) took two of three games this past weekend at USC (16-14, 5-7 Pac-12). After losing the opening game of the series 5-7, the Cardinal rebounded to win the next two games 8-3 and 6-3 respectively.
In the first game, junior Matt Winaker hit a two-run home run and drove in three for the Cardinal, but Stanford could not come back from a six-run deficit. Sophomore pitcher Kris Bubic had started the game, but he ran into trouble after three innings. Senior Tyler Thorne provided support from the bullpen, going nearly five innings and allowing just one run.
In the second game of the series, Stanford came from behind to win in extra innings–a hard-fought contest in which both teams showcased talented pitching and fielding. Junior Andrew Summerville pitched during the opening five innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. The Cardinal bullpen was dominant afterwards, holding the Trojans scoreless over the final four innings.
Offensively, Stanford managed to score three runs in the third inning, before blowing the game wide open in the 10th inning. The Cardinal scored five runs with four consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly to take a lead which they would not relinquish.
Stanford again held USC to just three runs on Sunday. This time, senior pitcher Chris Castellanos picked up his fifth win of the season after playing eight innings. The senior, who allowed only three runs, is now 5-1 this season. Freshman Daniel Bakst and sophomore Nico Hoerner both picked up three RBI’s, powering the Cardinal to a series victory.
The series victory improves Stanford’s record to 17-10 on the season and 4-5 in conference play. In a critical gain, Stanford moves ahead of USC (5-7) in conference standings. Stanford will look to maintain its momentum as it heads into a critical stretch of the season, as it prepares to face more Pac-12 opponents in the upcoming weeks.
The Cardinal will return to action in the Bay Area next week as they host San Jose State for a game and UCLA for a series. Stanford also has one home game against Cal next Tuesday.
Contact Michael Spelfogel at mspel ‘at’ stanford.edu.