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STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford was two outs away from no-hitting rival California for the first time in program history before a tapper over pitcher Gabe Cramer’s head ended the bid with one out in the ninth inning of a 4-0 win Tuesday. Chris Castellanos blanked the Bears for the first 7.0 innings in front of 1,141 fans at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond.
Stanford (17-21) elected to pull Castellanos (2-0) because of his career-high 86 pitches, 58 of which went for strikes. The original plan was to throw him for only three or four innings since he went a career-long 4.1 innings Friday against Utah without allowing a hit.
“I was just trying to keep the guys off balance and pound strikes and just save our bullpen to give us a chance this weekend,” Castellanos said before getting a shaving cream pie to the face from a teammate during his Pac-12 Networks interview. “My changeup was working real well today. I think that was my go-to pitch.”
The lefty stretched his hitless innings streak to 11.1 during his first career start. He said he was “spent” by the time the seventh inning ended. Castellanos allowed just two base runners, one on a hit batter in the fifth and another on an error in the sixth, while striking out four.
Cramer worked a 1-2-3 eighth to set a similar stage to April 7 when the Cardinal took a combined no-hitter to the ninth against Pacific. Devin Pearson’s off-balance swing on a 0-1 fastball on the outside corner took a big hop in front of the plate and went just out of the reach of Cramer to give Cal its first hit.
Shortstop Drew Jackson also helped set up the potential history-making game by putting everything he had into a throw from the edge of the grass to get Aaron Knapp on a ground ball to lead off the seventh. The junior, who is touted for his arm, fired from up the middle to beat the left-handed hitting Knapp by the closest of margins.
Jackson, Matt Winaker and Zach Hoffpauir led the Cardinal with two hits apiece. Winaker gave Castellanos and Cramer enough run support by doubling home Jackson, who had singled, in the first inning. Stanford produced more offense in the first four pitches of the game (two hits, three total bases) than Cal did for 27 outs (two hits, two total bases).
Hoffpauir continued his torrid hitting against the Bears with his 2-for-3 day, which included an RBI double and an intentional walk. He is 8-15 (.533) with three homers and 10 RBI in four games against California this season.
California’s (23-14) Jeff Bain (4-2) took the loss by allowing three runs on five hits over the first 5.0 innings.
Stanford continues its eight-game home stand by hosting No. 2 UCLA Friday-Sunday at Sunken Diamond. Pac-12 Networks (Friday, Sunday) and ESPNU (Saturday) have the broadcasts.