STANFORD, Calif. – Making his first career start on Sunday from Sunken Diamond, freshman Braden Montgomery finished 3 for 5 with two home runs, six RBIs and three runs scored to help guide No. 6 Stanford (2-1) to an 11-1 victory and a series victory over Cal State Fullerton (1-2).
Montgomery extended Stanford's lead from 2-1 to 4-1 with his first of the day in the sixth – a two-run shot to the opposite field in left-center. The home run was his first career hit and came in his third at bat.
The native of Madison, Miss. followed with a two-RBI single in the five-run Stanford seventh before lining a two-run homer to right field in the bottom of the eighth to cap the scoring.
The multi-homer game is the first for the Cardinal since Brock Jones had three at No. 8 Texas Tech on June 12, 2021.
Sophomore Eddie Park went 3 for 3 with two walks and a stolen base while hitting out of the leadoff spot in the order. Fellow sophomore Carter Graham batted 2 for 3 with three runs scored, a double and one RBI.
Graham's RBI-double down the left field line in the fourth broke a scoreless game and handed Stanford a lead it would not relinquish. The double was the first extra-base hit for Stanford this year, and scored Drew Bowser from first base.
That run-scoring blow, which was followed by an RBI-triple from Brett Barrera, seemingly opened the flood gates for the Cardinal, as Stanford scored 11 runs on 14 hits from the fourth inning on.
In addition to Montgomery's two-RBI single in the seventh, Stanford also benefited from a two-RBI single off the bat of Adam Crampton – his first hit of the 2022 campaign.
Overshadowed slightly by the offensive outpouring, sophomore Drew Dowd turned in a solid start for the Cardinal on Sunday, tossing 5 2/3 innings and allowing just one run on three hits with four strikeouts to pick up the victory.
Cody Jensen, Tommy O'Rourke and Ryan Bruno combined to finish the final 3 1/3 innings, with Bruno striking out the side in order in the top of the ninth.
Cal State Fullerton used nine pitchers on Sunday, with starter Christian Rodriguez surrendering two runs on three hits and five walks with two strikeouts to take the loss.
Stanford will now prepare to host Santa Clara on Tuesday in the first midweek action of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will air on Pac-12 Networks.