LOS ANGELES – No. 2 Stanford dropped a 7-2 decision at No. 21 UCLA on Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium for its first series loss of the season.
"Life on the road can be tough, and any great team has to learn how to be its best self on the road," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "I didn't think our pitchers looked comfortable all weekend, but that's part of the growth you experience over the course of the season."
The Cardinal (23-5 overall, 6-3 Pac-12) jumped on top in the first inning with Andrew Daschbach's third home run in two days and fourth in as many games. The sophomore's seventh of the season made it 2-0, but that was it for Stanford's offense on the afternoon.
Maverick Handley, Kyle Stowers, Brendan Beck and Beau Branton added one hit apiece for the Cardinal, which mustered just five on the day. Christian Molfetta reached base twice for the third time in the series – he had multiple hits in each of the first two contests, drawing two walks on Sunday.
Starter Erik Miller lasted 2.2 innings after allowing five earned runs. The Bruins (19-8, 8-4) responded with a solo shot in the bottom of the first before dropping a five spot in the third. UCLA tacked on one more run in the fifth for the final score of 7-2.
Will Matthiessen relieved Miller, allowing one run on three hits in 2.1 innings. Jacob Palisch looked sharp in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing one base runner and striking out two. Zach Grech pitched the eighth, needing just 12 pitches to retire the side in order.
"It was unusual after yesterday's offense, we came out and struck out 13 times today," added Esquer. "It's disappointing because we know we're better than that, but this is a necessary setback."
Stanford is back in action on Tuesday at 6 p.m. PT against UC Davis at Sunken Diamond. Stanford then welcomes Arizona State to town for a three-game series, starting Friday night at 6 p.m. PT.
Cardinal Notes
- Brendan Beck made his first career start at third base.
- Stanford pitchers surrendered 26 runs over the three-game series, the most allowed in any series this season.
- The Cardinal faced Tuesday's opponent UC Davis in Davis, California, on Feb. 19, winning by a score of 3-2.