Hoerner, Hock Lead CardinalHoerner, Hock Lead Cardinal
Baseball

Hoerner, Hock Lead Cardinal

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STANFORD, Calif. – Sophomore Nico Hoerner had three hits and junior Colton Hock recorded an eight-out save as No. 9 Stanford clinched its fifth straight series with a 7-5 win over Washington at Sunken Diamond.
 
Stanford (36-14, 17-9 Pac-12) won for the 17th time in the last 19 games, including a 12-2 mark against Pac-12 opponents in that stretch. The last time the Cardinal won five straight conference series was 2008.
 
The Cardinal scored six unanswered between the third and sixth to take a 6-2 lead. Washington closed to within 6-5 in the eighth inning, but Hock extended his school record with his 15th save of the season.
 
It was also "9" bobblehead giveaway day in honor of the final home weekend for head coach Mark Marquess, who is retiring at the end of the season. Fittingly, Stanford will take a nine-game home winning streak into his final game at Sunken Diamond on Sunday at 1 p.m.
 
Stanford has not made it easy lately. The Cardinal fell behind early for the fifth straight Pac-12 game. Washington (26-24, 12-14 Pac-12)  got two on with two outs and a two-run double made it 2-0 after two innings.
 
Hoerner tied the game in the third, and classmate Duke Kinamon gave the Cardinal the lead. Hoerner launched one that hit halfway up the wall in left center. Junior Jesse Kuet scored from scored from second, and Matt Winaker raced around from first to beat the throw and tie the game.
 
Three batters later, Kinamon's sacrifice fly to deep centerfield brought Hoerner home for a 3-2 lead.
 
Hoerner was back at it in the fourth. The Oakland native laced an opposite-field single through the hole on the right side. Jack Klein, who singled to start the inning, scored from second and Stanford led 4-2.
 
For the second straight day, Winaker launched a two-run home run to left. About 18 hours earlier, the first baseman crushed a two-run, go-ahead blast in the seventh inning. On Saturday, Winaker hit a line drive that just cleared the wall in the sixth inning. It put the Cardinal up 6-2.

 
Washington answered back with a two-run double in the seventh. Colton Hock entered with one out and the tying run at the plate, but needed just five pitches to retire the side, and maintain a 6-4 lead.
 
The Huskies added one in the eighth, but the Cardinal responded. Klein singled to start the inning and after a sacrifice bunt, Kuet, Stanford's hottest hitter, lined one back through the box to increase the lead to 7-5.
 
NUMBERS…
Hock moved into ninth place in Pac-12 history with his 24th career save. He allowed a run on three hits, and struck out a pair in 2.2 innings. Starter Andrew Summerville struck out four and allowed three earned runs on five hits in six innings. Freshman reliever Will Matthiessen retired one batter on a strikeout in the seventh.
 
Hoerner finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, a run, walk and double, while Winaker was 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Klein was 2-for-4 with two runs and Kuet finished 1-for-2 with two runs, a walk and an RBI.
 
AND NOTABLES
Stanford's 36 wins overall and 17 conference wins are each the most since 2012 (41 and 18) … Kuet has 10 hits in his last 16 at-bats … Winaker has reached base in 21 consecutive games—a career best and the longest streak for a Cardinal since Alex Blandino reached in 31 straight in 2014 … Brandon Wulff has reached base in a career-high 10 straight games … Hock has recorded four or more outs in 10 of his 15 saves, and matched his longest save of the season (2.2 innings at Oregon on April 21) … A lefty has started 41 straight games for the Cardinal … Stanford is 32-0 when leading or tied after seven innings this season.

 
WHAT'S AHEAD
Stanford has just one home game remaining. 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
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 #GoStanford