SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Andrew Daschbach and Kyle Stowers homered, Brendan Beck threw 6.0 strong innings and No. 2 Stanford defeated Santa Clara, 16-8, on Tuesday night at Stephen Schott Stadium.
"We definitely got some help to start, but I thought Stowers' swing of the bat was the biggest moment for us tonight," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball. "After an inning like the first, you always want to show you can score again, and that swing really opened it back up for us after they started to get back into it."
Stowers also enjoyed a fine evening at the plate, going 2-for-5 with three RBI and his fourth home run of the season. Stowers' home run was a line shot to the opposite field in the seventh, stretching Stanford's lead to 10-2. Stowers also pitched a scoreless eighth inning, needing just nine pitches to retire the side.
Daschbach had a career day, setting career marks in RBI (4) and hits (3). Daschbach hit his team-leading fifth home run of the season in the eighth, a towering shot to left that cleared Santa Clara's batting cages.
Starter Brendan Beck (4-0) earned the win, hurling 6.0 innings while allowing four hits, one walk and two runs. In his last three starts, Beck has gone 17.0 innings while allowing eight hits and two earned runs.
Stanford seized the lead early with its highest-scoring inning of the season, a seven spot in the opening frame. Tim Tawa reached third base on the first pitch of the game via two Santa Clara errors before Maverick Handley and Nico Hoerner each were hit by a pitch. Stanford made it 5-0 before Handley's two-out double made it 7-0.
The Broncos (15-11, 4-5 WCC) responded with runs off Beck in the fifth and sixth innings, but Stanford struck back with Stowers' home run in the seventh and Daschbach's in the eighth. Trailing 16-2, Santa Clara plated six runs in the bottom of the ninth, but it was too little, too late.
No. 2 Stanford returns to action this weekend when it travels to play UCLA in Los Angeles. The series opener on Friday at 6 p.m. PT with Saturday's contest at 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale set for 1 p.m. Live statistics will be available at GoStanford.com.
Cardinal Notes
- Every Cardinal starter scored at least one run.
- Stowers' home run was his second in three contests – he homered in Stanford's 4-0 win over Oregon on Sunday.
- Stanford's previous season high in an inning came in an 11-1 win at Texas on March 11.
- Will Matthiessen pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out one and needing 19 pitches.
- Nick Bellafronto reached base in his first career plate appearance, drawing a pinch-hit walk in the eighth.
- Christian Robinson registered his first career RBI with an opposite-field line drive in the eighth, scoring Bellafronto and Jesse Kuet.
- Stanford's eight walks tied a season high.