Bubic Brilliant in LossBubic Brilliant in Loss
Baseball

Bubic Brilliant in Loss

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 5 Stanford faces elimination from the NCAA Tournament on Sunday after a walk-off, 2-1 loss at the hands of Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at Sunken Diamond.

"We had a number of opportunities to get the big hit and couldn't capitalize," said Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball. "They ended up finding the big hit that we couldn't, and Kris Bubic did an outstanding job tonight to keep us in it. This was a great, back-and-forth ballgame, but we have really struggled to get the big at-bat in the big spots so far."

Bubic set a season high with 10 strikeouts on a career-high 130 pitches in 7.0 innings for the Cardinal (45-11), which surrendered a solo, walk-off home run off the bat of Jace Chamberlin in the bottom of the ninth. Bubic scattered five base runners (three hits, two walks) while allowing just one run, a sacrifice fly in the first inning. Nico Hoerner finished 2-for-4, and Tim Tawa's triple forced home the only Stanford run of the night.

After the Titans (34-23) took a 1-0 lead in the first, Hoerner's double in the fourth was Stanford's first hit of the game. In the sixth, Tim Tawa's one-out triple scored Alec Wilson, who led off the inning with a double, to tie the game at 1-1.

The Cardinal stranded two runners before a dramatic home half of the sixth. After a leadoff walk, Bubic struck out the next two batters before Kyle Stowers threw out Mitchell Berryhill attempting to score from second on Sahid Valenzuela's two-out single to keep the game tied at one apiece.

The Cardinal had further chances to take the lead in the eighth inning, with Stowers grounding into a narrow, inning-ending double play with runners on first and third. Stanford went down in order in the top of the ninth before Chamberlain's two-out solo home run to end the ballgame. Will Matthiessen, who hurled 1.2 innings in relief of Bubic, took the loss.

Stanford (1-1) faces elimination tomorrow when it squares off with No. 2-seeded Baylor (1-1) at 1 p.m. PT on ESPN3. The winner stays alive in the regional round and No. 3 seed Cal State Fullerton (2-0) at 6 p.m.

Cardinal Notes

  • Stanford outhit the Titans, 6-5, with both teams stranding seven base runners.
  • It was the second consecutive night Stanford's game ended in a walk-off after Christian Robinson's 13th-inning double on Friday.
  • Bubic struck out four batters in the second inning – Cal State Fullerton's leadoff hitter reached base on the third strike (passed ball).
  • Wright State was eliminated from the regional in Game 3 earlier in the day, falling to Baylor by a score of 11-5.