LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Just two outs away from a Pac-12 road series victory, the Stanford baseball team suffered its second walk-off defeat in 12 days as UCLA scored three in the ninth to win 6-5 and even the series on Friday night at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Stanford (16-9, 5-3 Pac-12) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead for the second straight night. Junior centerfielder Jack Klein led off the top of the third with a sharp single to left. He swiped second and scored on freshman Nico Hoerner's single back up the middle. Hoerner then scored when Mikey Diekroeger ripped a double off the chalk in right field.
UCLA (13-15, 5-6) got on the scoreboard with a two-out, run-scoring triple in the bottom of the fourth.
But the Cardinal got it back in the sixth. Diekroeger doubled for the second time on the night, and two batters later, pinch hitter Austin Barr brought the sophomore home with an RBI groundout.
The Bruins tied the game in the bottom of the inning. The first five Bruins reached and the bases were loaded with no outs. But starter Tristan Beck, got a pop up, and struck out the next two hitters to escape the jam and keep it 3-3.
As Stanford had done throughout its four-game winning streak, the offense responded immediately. Klein and Hoerner teamed up for another run. Klein led off with a double to right center, and Hoerner lined a single to center for a one-run lead. Two UCLA errors later and Hoerner crossed home for a 5-3 advantage.
But the Bruins rallied in their final at bat. The first two hitters reached in the ninth and were bunted over. The game was tied with a double off the right field wall, and then won on Kort Peterson's single through the left side against a pulled-in infield.
Stanford also lost on a walk-off at San Jose State on March 28. Each of Stanford's four losses since March 6 have come by one run or in extra innings, including the two walk-offs.
NEXT UP: Stanford's first Pac-12 road trip wraps up Saturday at 4:30pm. That game can also be seen on the Pac-12 Network.