Bats Stay HotBats Stay Hot
Baseball

Bats Stay Hot

Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. – No. 3 Stanford made it 56 runs in four games with a 15-7 win over San Jose State on Tuesday night at Sunken Diamond.

"It's been a work in progress, but I'm thrilled with the way our guys are swinging the bat right now," said the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "It's coming from all parts of the lineup right now, and that's what we love to see as we continue our Pac-12 schedule. There are no easy games in this league and Arizona will be another great test this weekend."

The Cardinal (29-6-0) won its fifth straight game, hitting five home runs for the second time in four games. Stanford registered 16 hits, plating 10 or more runs for the fourth game in a row – in the last 11 games, the Cardinal has hit 30 home runs, including one apiece tonight from Andrew Daschbach, Brandon Wulff, Will Matthiessen, Nick Brueser and Duke Kinamon.

Matthiessen and Maverick Handley, who went 3-for-5, scored three times apiece, Kinamon finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs, Wulff drove in four and Kyle Stowers finished 2-for-5 with a pair of runs. Nick Bellafronto reached base four times, finishing 2-for-3 with two runs and a pair of walks and Breuser drove in a pair with his second long ball in as many games.

The Spartans (18-23-0) took an early lead, plating an unearned run off starter Alex Williams in the opening frame. The Cardinal went down in order before flashing the leather in the top of the second with fine plays in the field by Stowers and Brueser.

Stowers made a diving play in centerfield for the first out of the inning and the frame ended when Brueser threw a strike from right field to Bellafronto at third to nail the runner attempting to advance. Brueser's sacrifice fly in the bottom half tied it at 1-1, scoring Matthiessen, who led off the inning with a walk. Stanford loaded the bases with two outs but stranded all three runners aboard.

San Jose State took a 4-1 lead in the top of the third with a three-run blast off the bat of Troy Viola, but the Cardinal struck back with a five spot in the home half. Daschbach's three-run shot to left made it 4-4 and Brueser's second home run in as many games gave Stanford its first lead of the day, 5-4. Another run came across after a pair of two-out doubles from Bellafronto and Kinamon.

After Williams' shutdown inning with a pair of punchouts in the top of the fourth, Stanford put another crooked number on the board in the home half with back-to-back home runs by Wulff and Matthiessen. Wulff's brought home Stowers and Handley, who started the inning with singles, and Matthiesen's made it 10-4 with a solo shot.

The Spartans responded with a run in the top of the fifth but Stanford scored three more in the home half. Kinamon came home on a wild pitch before Handley doubled home Stowers. Handley advanced to third on a wild pitch, eventually crossing home on a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield by Wulff to make it 13-5.

Williams allowed another unearned run in the top of the sixth before making way for Austin Weiermiller. Williams' final line included three strikeouts in 6.0 innings while allowing six runs, four of which were earned, on eight hits. Weiermiller worked a clean seventh, striking out a pair and getting a weak ground ball to wrap it up. Stanford stranded two in the home half before San Jose State manufactured a run in the eighth to make it 13-7, but Kinamon's long ball in the home half extended the lead to 15-7. Zach Grech came on to work a scoreless ninth and finish the job.

No. 3 Stanford continues Pac-12 play this weekend when it plays host to Arizona for a three-game series, starting Friday at 6 p.m. Saturday's game, which starts at 5 p.m., will be followed by Stanford's annual Fireworks Night while Sunday's finale will begin at 1 p.m. Live streaming and live statistics for all games will be available at GoStanford.com.

Cardinal Notes

  • Prior to Monday's win over Gonzaga, Brueser had not hit a home run – he has homered in each of Stanford's two games this week.
  • Daschbach's home run was his ninth of the season and fifth in four games.
  • Wulff's home run was his fifth in as many games.
  • Stanford has hit multiple home runs in nine of 11 games.
  • Stanford has double digit runs in each of the last four games and seven times this season.
  • The Cardinal is 6-1 in midweek games this season and 15-1 under Esquer.
  • It was Stanford's 13th game with double-digit hits