SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – In the series finale at first-place Utah, Stanford baseball was unable to hold an early lead and dropped the rubber match with the Utes, 8-3, at Smith's Ballpark on Sunday afternoon.
Stanford (25-21, 11-13 Pac-12) went on top in the third. Austin Barr skied one over the head of the centerfielder and off the wall near the 420-foot marker. The senior scooted his way to third for a stand-up triple -- the first of his career. Two batters later, sophomore Matt Winaker brought him home with a single up the middle for a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinal tacked on another run in the next inning. Sophomore outfielder Quinn Brodey extended his career-best hitting streak to 10 games with a leadoff double down the right field line. He scored when freshman Duke Kinamon singled through the left side to give the Cardinal a 2-0 advantage.
Sophomore starter Andrew Summerville did not allow a run in 3.2 innings. He gave up three hits and walked five, but induced two double plays, and the Cardinal threw out two runners at the plate to keep Utah off the scoreboard.
Junior reliever Tyler Thorne entered with two on and two outs in the fourth, but forced a shallow fly out.
However, Utah (20-25, 15-9) got on the board with a two-out single and double in the fifth to close within 2-1, and then took the lead in the sixth. The Utes loaded the bases with two outs. DaShawn Keirsey, Jr. singled home a pair, and Cody Scaggari followed with a two-run double to give Utah a 5-2 lead.
Two more Utah runs came across in the seventh -- a double to the wall in left center made it 7-2.
Senior Bobby Zarubin pitched the eighth. He allowed one run on two hits in his second appearance of the season, and his second since shoulder surgery as a freshman.
Stanford loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth. Freshman Nico Hoerner had an RBI groundout for the final score.
NOTABLES: Winaker has hit safely in 15 of the last 16 games, including five straight ... Brodey's 10-game hit streak matched the longest for a Cardinal this year (Winaker) ... Kinamon had an RBI single for the second straight game ... Edman has a hit in 10 of last the 11 games, including four multi-hit games ... Barr has reached base in each of his last eight games.
NEXT UP: A quasi-doubleheader will take place at Sunken Diamond on Tuesday. Stanford and UC Davis will finish a suspended game from March 21 (Cardinal leads, 12-9 and will start at-bat in the top of the ninth), and then begin the regularly scheduled game at 5:30 p.m.
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