STANFORD, Calif. – In a back-and-forth affair, Stanford baseball ultimately fell to Arizona State, 9-6, on Saturday afternoon at Sunken Diamond.
For the second straight game, the Sun Devils tallied the game's first run in the second inning. An unearned run came across to score after a dropped pop up put the leadoff hitter on second base.
Also for the second straight game, junior Jack Klein got the offense going with the Cardinal's first hit in the third inning, and Stanford scored the game's next two runs. Klein singled to right and scored all the way from first base -- he beat the throw home with a head-first slide -- on junior shortstop Tommy Edman's line-drive double down the left field line. Edman advanced to third on the throw and scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly by freshman Nico Hoerner.
But again, for the second straight game, Arizona State responded with the next two runs to take a 3-2 lead. Junior starter Chris Castellanos looked as if he would work around a leadoff double in the fifth. He forced two straight pop outs, but a walk was followed by a two-out double, and both Sun Devils scored.
The parallel's with Friday night stopped when the Cardinal put together five straight hits and scored three runs in the sixth inning. Sophomore Quinn Brodey blasted a solo shot over the wall in right field to tie the game, 3-3, with one out. Matt Winaker doubled, Alex Dunlap singled, and Austin Barr brought both home with a double to left field for a 5-3 lead.
However, Arizona State erased the Stanford lead with two solo home runs in the seventh. The Sun Devils then added three more in the inning to go-ahead, 8-5.
Dunlap led off the home half of the eighth with a double. The Cardinal got the tying run to the plate when sophomore Beau Branton drew a walk. But just one came across when Dunlap scored on a ground out by Bryce Carter to make it 8-6.
The Sun Devils added one in their last at-bat and held the Cardinal scoreless in the bottom of the ninth.
NEXT UP: Following Sunday's series finale at 1 p.m., the Cardinal players will be available for postgame autographs.
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— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 23, 2016