HOUSTON, Texas – No. 16 Stanford split the weekend series at Rice with a doubleheader split on Sunday. The Cardinal fell 12-2 in Game 1, but bounced back for a 2-0 victory in a seven-inning affair in Game 2 at Reckling Park.
Game 1
It was a rough start to Sunday's doubleheader as No. 16 Stanford fell to Rice, 12-2, at Reckling Park.
Stanford scored in the second after back-to-back singles by Mikey Diekroeger and Alex Dunlap to lead off the inning. Matt Winaker laid down a bunt and the throw to first sailed high, allowing Diekroeger to score for a 1-0 lead.
That was all the Cardinal pushed across in the second as they stranded runners at third with less than two outs in back-to-back innings.
Rice scored an unearned run of its own to tie the game in the fourth. An inning later, four straight Owls reached on an error, hit by pitch, double and a single to score three.
Stanford got one back in the seventh to make it 4-2. The Cardinal loaded the bases with one out, and Brandon Wulff scored on Quinn Brodey's sacrifice fly to left.
Rice put the game out of reach with a three-run home run in the seventh and five more in the eighth. The game was stopped when the Owls took a 10-run lead in the eighth.
NUMBERS…
Freshman Erik Miller (1-1) started and allowed just two earned runs in 4.1 innings. He struck out six and walked just one. Junior Keith Weisenberg had five strikeouts in 2.2 innings of relief. Five different Cardinal had a hit as Nico Hoerner finished 1-for-3 with a double.
AND NOTABLES
Matt Winaker's error-less streak ended at 79 games … Winkaer's error was just the third of his college career and first since May 3, 2015 at Oregon … Stanford had won seven straight day games … Houston native John Henry Styles pitched in the eighth.
Game 2
HOUSTON, Texas – It was Chris Castellanos to the rescue once again. The senior southpaw led Stanford to another victory as the Cardinal topped Rice in a seven-inning affair in the nightcap, 2-0.
Stanford (11-5) has won the last nine games started by Castellanos. The Long Beach, Calif., native blanked the Owls (6-11) for 5.2 innings, allowed just two hits and struck out three. Junior Colton Hock recorded the last four outs for his fourth save of the season.
It was scoreless until the sixth as Stanford stranded a runner at third in the first, second and fourth innings. In the fourth, junior Mikey Diekroeger led off with a single, stole second and advanced to third on the overthrow. But the next three Cardinal could not get him home.
Stanford finally broke through when sophomore Duke Kinamon and freshman Daniel Bakst delivered back-to-back two-out RBI singles. Kinamon pushed a ground ball through the middle to score Diekroeger from second and broke the scoreless tie. Kinamon then stole second and scored when Bakst looped one into right field.
Hock relieved Castellanos with two outs and one on in the sixth. He needed just one pitch to force an inning-ending pop out, and then faced just three hitters in the seventh to complete Stanford's third shut out of the season.
NUMBERS…
Quinn Brodey was 2-for-3, while Matt Winaker, Brandon Wulff and Nico Hoerner rounded out the rest of Stanford's eight hits. Castellanos lowered his ERA under 2.00 for the season and Hock has still yet to allow a run in 12.0 innings and seven appearances this year.
AND NOTABLES
Stanford has won every game started by Castellanos since April 30, 2016 … A doubleheader was played with an 11 a.m. CT start time after Saturday's game was rained out … Game 2 was predetermined to finish after seven innings in order for the Cardinal to catch the flight home … Head Coach Mark Marquess remains four wins away from becoming the fourth head coach in Division I history with 1,600 career wins … This was Stanford's first road shut out this year after holding Kansas scoreless in back-to-back games at Sunken Diamond.
WHAT'S AHEAD
It's a one week break for the Cardinal before 10 straight Pac-12 weekends. Stanford's next series is the start of Pac-12 play as defending conference champion Utah comes to Sunken Diamond, March 24-26. That series features seat cushion giveaway, ice cream social and autograph day.
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