Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader was decidedly less successful for the Cardinal than the prior game. Stanford (5-10, 0-0 Pac-12) answered Kansas State’s (8-6, 0-0 Big 12) two-run fourth inning with a run of its own, but then surrendered nine straight runs to lose 11-1.
“The walk before the homer was probably the bigger thing where you’re down two instead of one,” said Stanford head coach David Esquer ’87. “Deficits are a little harder to navigate this year. We haven’t been able to respond with the power that we’ve had in the past.”
Freshman RHP Max Meier tossed 5+ innings, surrendered four hits, struck out four, issued one walk and was charged with three earned runs.
Sophomore RHP Cody Jensen came out of the bullpen in the sixth inning and recorded one out while allowing two runs, one earned. Sophomore LHP Nicolas Lopez accounted for the next six outs while allowing four hits and five earned runs with three walks and as many strikeouts.
Junior Tim Tawa and freshmen Carson Greene and Brock Jones each notched two hits, and Stanford totaled nine.
“We were probably squaring up the baseball a little better against their starter than they were against our starter, but then the game kind of got away from us,” Esquer said.
Stanford committed two errors in a three-run sixth inning for the Wildcats. Kansas State added two more runs in the seventh inning and four more in the eighth.
Cameron Thompson and Zach Kokoska each had three hits and scored three runs in the two and three holes, respectively, for Kansas State. Batting cleanup, Terrence Spurlin had two hits, two runs and five RBIs.
“They’ve got a tough lineup,” Esquer said. “We’re facing a more experienced team.”
Stanford sophomore RHP Justin Moore pitched 0.2 innings while allowing 1 run, and senior RHP Jonathan Worley used seven pitches to retire the side in order in the top of the ninth.
“It’s a little bit tough sledding right now because we’ve got such a young and inexperienced team and trying to play different lineups,” Esquer said. “Quite frankly, a lot of our returning players that we were counting on have got off to a really rough and slow start. Everyone’s kind of looking to each other to kind of carry the load — the pitching on the defense, defense to the hitting and everyone to the pitching.”
Stanford will seek to even the series on Sunday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. PT.
Injury Update
Sophomore RHP Alex Williams will undergo surgery and will miss the remainder of the season. Junior LHPs Jacob Palisch and Austin Weiermiller will return later in the season.
Contact Daniel Martinez-Krams at danielmk ‘at’ stanford.edu.