SAN DIEGO – Freshman Braden Montgomery connected for a pair of homers to help guide No. 7 Stanford (22-11) to an 11-1 victory over Grand Canyon (26-13) on Friday from San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.
Montgomery launched solo homers leading off the third and fifth innings to highlight a 2 for 5 day at the plate. The two homers pushed Montgomery into the team lead with 11 on the season. Friday marked the second multi-homer game of Montgomery's career (February 20 vs. Cal State Fullerton), while the native of Madison, Miss. has homered in six of his last nine games overall.
Sophomore Carter Graham, who entered the day tied with Montgomery with nine home runs, also connected for one on Friday – parking a two-run shot off the top of the batter's eye in center field in the sixth.
Graham finished the game 2 for 5 with a double and four RBIs. Junior Kody Huff also collected two hits, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and three runs scored.
Grand Canyon got on the board first in the second inning, plating a run on a two-out RBI-single from Cade Verdusco, but Stanford responded for four in the home half of the inning to take a lead it would hold the rest of the way.
A pair of hit by pitches, two of five issued to the Cardinal on Friday, got the second inning started before RBI-singles from Eddie Park and Brock Jones made it 2-1. Graham capped the scoring with a two-RBI double down the right field line.
Montgomery's solo homers highlighted two-run innings in the third and fifth before Graham's round-tripper in the sixth accounted for two more to make it 10-1.
Stanford would add a single run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Crampton – the third sac fly of the day for Stanford after Park delivered a pair earlier in the game.
The run support proved plenty enough for Cardinal starter Alex Williams. The right-hander allowed one run on seven hits and two walks while striking out five over eight innings to improve to 5-1 on the year.
Junior Nathan Fleischli worked a scoreless ninth inning, securing the victory for the Cardinal.
Stanford will return to action on Saturday when it plays a doubleheader – the first game against Grand Canyon at 1 p.m. ahead of a 6 p.m. first pitch against San Diego State.