Kuet_Defense_2017Kuet_Defense_2017
Baseball

Undefeated in Midweeks

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Junior Jesse Kuet's four hits and career-high four RBI led No. 9 Stanford to a 15-9 win over Santa Clara at Stephen Schott Stadium on Wednesday night.
 
Nico Hoerner, Maverick Handley, Duke Kinamon and Quinn Brodey each knocked in two runs, and every Stanford starter scored a run. 
 
Stanford's early 6-1 lead was cut to 6-5 before a seven-run sixth inning gave the Cardinal enough separation to hold off the Broncos (13-37).
 
The Cardinal finished undefeated in 10 midweek games this season, and has won nine straight non-conference contests to improve to 34-14 overall.
 
Stanford scored just two batters into the game. Junior Matt Winaker was hit by a pitch and scored when Hoerner dented the wall with a double to left centerfield.
 
Hoerner then added his second RBI in as many innings. It came after Jesse Kuet's run-scoring single up the middle and Winaker's sacrifice fly. Hoerner went the opposite way and looped a two-out single to right to score Kuet from second and make it 4-0.
 
Kuet, who finished 4-for-5, knocked in two more in the third. Stanford loaded the bases with two outs, and the Huntington Beach native lofted one over short for a 6-1 lead.
 
Santa Clara pushed a run across in the second, one in the third and three in the fifth to close within 6-5.
 
In the next half inning, Stanford sent 13 to the plate, had six hits, and capitalized on two walks and two errors. Kuet had two hits in the inning, including a single to start the rally and a run-scoring single to cap the scoring. In between, Brodey ripped a two-run single through the right side, sophomore Brandon Wullf added an RBI single, and Handley doubled home two more for a 13-5 lead.

 
A three-run home run in the sixth and another run in the eighth cut the lead to 13-9, but Duke Kinamon crushed a two-run home run to left in the top of the ninth to keep Stanford safely in front.
 
NUMBERS…
Freshman Erik Miller (4-1) earned the win as he allowed just one run and struck out three in two innings. Classmate Will Matthiessen posted a similar stat line with an earned run and two strikeouts in two innings.
 
Kuet tied a career high with his four hits. Hoerner recorded his eighth multi-hit game in the last month with a 2-for-5 effort, including a double and a walk. Kinamon (2-for-6) also had a pair of hits and runs to go along with his third round-tripper of the season. Wulff was 1-for-3 with a career-high three runs, and was hit by a pitch twice. Handley finished 1-for-2 with two walks, a double, two RBI and a run. Winaker was 0-for-2, but reached three times and scored twice.
 
AND NOTABLES
Stanford's 15 runs are second-most this season (16 vs. Rice on March 9), and the fourth time the Cardinal has reached double-digits in the run column … Stanford is 15-2 in its last 17 games and 34-12 since dropping the first two games of the year … Winaker has reached base in 19 consecutive games—a career best and the longest streak of the season for the Cardinal … Wulff and Handley have each reached base in a career-high eight games … A lefty has started 39 straight games for the Cardinal … Stanford is 22-4 when scoring first and 13-3 when scoring in the first this season.
 
WHAT'S AHEAD
Stanford has one more home series remaining. Friday (6 p.m.) is Fireworks Night, Saturday (2 p.m.) is Coach Marquess bobblehead and trading card giveaway day, and the final chance to see No. 9 in the Stanford dugout at Sunken Diamond is Senior Day on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
The Cardinal, which sits in second place in the Pac-12 with a 15-9 mark, concludes the regular season at Washington State, May 25-27.
 
SOCIAL SCENE
For the latest updates, you can follow Cardinal baseball all year long on instagram, twitter and snapchat (@StanfordBSB).