TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 2 Stanford retained first place in the Pac-12 conference with a 7-2 win and a 3-0 series sweep against Arizona on Sunday at Hi Corbett Field.
"We knew it would be important to come out and finish the job today," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "It's tough to win three in a row in this league, let alone three on the road. We had a couple big hits and few big at-bats, but our pitchers really shined today to hold down their offense."
Stanford had 14 hits, one off its season high, with the pitching staff allowing just one earned run. Andrew Daschbach reached base five times with two runs and a career-high four hits, and Tim Tawa was 3-for-5 with a pair of two-out RBI for the Cardinal's first two runs.
Kyle Stowers and Maverick Handley also had two RBI apiece – Stowers' big hit came in the seventh inning, a two-run single. Handley brought home runs with two excellent situational at-bats – a fielder's choice deep in the hole and a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center field.
T7 | @KyleStowers drives in Tawa & Hoerner with a single to right! Stanford piling on the runs with two in back-to-back frames.
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) April 22, 2018
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"There were a lot of big at-bats today – Maverick Handley had two terrific RBI, and you have to love what Christian Robinson has done here all week," said Esquer. "We've talked about pitching and defense all year long, but we've also been fortunate enough to see a lot of different players contributing offensively."
Starter Erik Miller (3-2) was outstanding in 5.0 innings, striking out four and scattering three hits to earn the win. The one run Arizona scored off Miller was unearned, and he exited with just 77 pitches after a long top of the sixth in which Stanford scored twice.
Erik Miller set the table for a Pac-12 road sweep on Sunday. #GoStanford
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The Cardinal fell behind, 1-0, with the Wildcats scoring in the second inning. Stanford tied the game courtesy of Tawa's two-out RBI double in the third before scoring six runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings combined. Arizona plated a consolation run in the bottom of the ninth, but Jack Little shut the door by striking out the final two batters.
The Cardinal is back in action on Tuesday against Pacific at 6 p.m. PT before a three-game series against Cal starting Thursday at 7 p.m. PT. All three contests against the Golden Bears air at 7 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Networks.
Cardinal Notes
- Stanford played 10 runs in the seventh inning across three games – Stanford has scored 38 runs in the seventh inning this season, the most of any inning.
- Brendan Beck, the Pac-12 leader in ERA, relieved Miller to pitch 2.2 innings with three strikeouts and three hits. Beck's ERA stands at 1.21 on the season.
- Stanford pitchers allowed just one walk while striking out eight – the Wildcats had just eight base runners on the day.
--#GoStanford--