TUCSON, Ariz. – Stanford baseball ran into a one of the Pac-12's hottest pitchers on Friday, and was unable to cool him off in a 4-1 defeat to Arizona at Hi Corbett Field.
Cardinal freshman starter Tristan Beck allowed just one run on three hits in five innings and Stanford's infield put on a defensive clinic, but the bats managed just five hits and one late run in the ninth on windy night in Tucson.
Neither team scored in the first half of the ball game, but both teams did threaten. Nico Hoerner and Alex Dunlap doubled in the first and second, respectively, for the Cardinal, but both were stranded. The Wildcats had runners at first and second in the first, and runners at the corners in the second, but Beck escaped each time with some highlight reel plays from Hoerner and shortstop Tommy Edman.
After Dunlap's double, the Cardinal did not have a base runner again until Beau Branton's pinch-hit infield single to lead off the ninth. In that time, Wildcats starter and reigning Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, Nathan Bannister, retired 20 straight Cardinal batters. Bannister, who is now 5-0 with an ERA below 1.00 at home this season, extended his scoreless innings streak to 18.0.
Arizona finally dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back two-out hits. A double and single put the hosts up 1-0. The Wildcats added an insurance run in the seventh, and two more in the eighth to take a 4-0 lead.
Following Branton's single, he advanced to second on a ground out, moved to third on a single by Hoerner, and scored on Mikey Diekroeger's opposite-field single to left. That brought up the tying run with two outs, but Quinn Brodey was forced into a fly out to left to end it.
NOTABLES: Stanford also lost the first game against Washington State and USC this season, and rebounded to win each series ... Stanford also lost Beck's start in each of the last two weekends, but won both series.
NEXT UP: The Cardinal and Wildcats resume the series on Saturday night at Hi Corbett Field. Stanford will send southpaw Chris Castellanos to the hill for the 7 p.m. start on the Pac-12 Networks.
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