Long Ball Leads Comeback

TUCSON, Ariz. – Stanford came to life in the seventh inning of a comeback 8-2 win at Arizona on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.  

"This game did not look like it was going to end up 8-2 in our favor, but we just hung around and stayed patient," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "This is a huge win for us, coming from behind on the road against a very strong opponent."

The Cardinal (28-5 overall, 10-3 Pac-12) erupted for five runs in the seventh inning after registering just one hit in the first six. Stanford added three more runs in the final two frames, including solo home runs from Andrew Daschbach and Kyle Stowers. Daschbach and Stowers' home runs came on consecutive pitches in the eighth inning – both finished 2-for-5 with two RBI apiece.

After a lead-off walk by Maverick Handley to start the seventh, Bryce Carter's triple off the wall in right field scored Stanford's first run of the evening. Christian Robinson's sacrifice fly to the warning track tied the game before Alec Wilson's first career home run gave Stanford a lead it would not relinquish.

Facing a 1-1 count, Wilson lined a high fastball inches beyond the wall in right field. After Arizona starter Cody Deason was pulled, Stanford tacked on two more runs, courtesy of two-out singles by Daschbach and Stowers, to make it 5-2.

Starter Tristan Beck (5-2) pitched 6.0 strong innings to earn the win, battling through several jams to keep Stanford within striking distance. Beck scattered five hits and two walks, striking out two with just one earned run charged.

Jacob Palisch relieved Beck in the bottom of the seventh, striking out two and allowing one hit over 2.0 innings. Austin Weiermiller worked a scoreless ninth inning to seal the win, Stanford's fifth in a row.

"Tristan dodged a few bullets tonight but his competitiveness kept us in the game," added Esquer. "He bent but didn't break, and showed everyone why he's our Friday night starter."

No. 2 Stanford is back tomorrow night at 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks for Game 2 against Arizona. Live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.

Cardinal Notes

• Stanford's 34 runs scored in the seventh inning this season are the most of any inning.
• Beck's ERA dips to 2.92 on the season.
• The home run given up by Deason was the first of the season.
• It was Stanford's third win trailing after six innings.
• Daschbach's home run was his 11th of the season – Stowers' was his eighth.