LOS ANGELES – No. 2 Stanford scored seven unanswered runs and did not allow a run in the final 8.0 innings of an 8-3 win over USC on Friday night at Dedeaux Field.
"This was a tough Friday-night game with the runs not exactly coming easy for us," said the Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer. "Our guys do a great job of picking themselves up and moving forward, and I'm really proud of them for hanging in there after things weren't going our way early. Those tack-on runs late in the game were a difference-maker and you have to credit Brendan Beck for battling through some adversity to give us a great chance to win."
Stanford's offense was relentless, finishing with 14 hits with the lead-off batter reaching base eight times. Andrew Daschbach reached base five times, finishing 2-for-2 with two runs and a home run, his 10th of the season, Maverick Handley, who also scored twice, finished 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and Nick Bellafronto drove in a pair.
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Kyle Stowers and Duke Kinamon each finished 3-for-5 with two runs and a double, and starting pitcher Beck (W, 4-3) persevered through a three-run first inning to post 5.0 innings and earn the win. Jacob Palisch and Zach Grech combined for four more scoreless innings and Stanford played error-free defense for the 15th time this season.
The Cardinal (33-7-0, 16-3-0 Pac-12) quickly got on the board with one run in the top of the first. Stowers led off the inning with a double into the gap in left-centerfield, eventually crossing home on an infield single by Brandon Wulff. The Trojans (19-23-1, 8-10-1) hastily responded with three in the home half, capped by a two-run double by Matthew Acosta to bring in a pair and make it 3-1.
Stanford erased the deficit in the second through Bellafronto's one-out single that scored Daschbach and Kinamon, who reached base via a double of the wall in left field. Beck fought through another tough spot in the bottom of the second, allowing a lead-off single but retiring the next three in order.
T2 | Just like that, we're tied again! @nickbellafronto lines one off the LF wall to bring home Daschbach & Kinamon! ??: @Pac12Network
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) May 4, 2019
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With two outs in the top of the third, Daschbach hit a towering shot down the right-field line for a two-out, two-run home run to put Stanford on top, 5-3. Beck delivered another shutdown inning despite allowing a one-out double – Duke Kinamon's diving play at second saved a run for the second out and Beck stranded the runner 90 feet from home by inducing an inning-ending fly ball.
Beck worked his first one-two-three inning of the night in the fourth, picking up two strikeouts along the way. In the fifth, Beck allowed a lead-off single but punched out two more Trojans, both looking, on his way to his fourth-consecutive zero on the board to preserve Stanford's two-run lead. Palisch replaced Beck to start the sixth – Beck's final line included six strikeouts while allowing three runs, all in the first inning, on six hits. Palisch allowed a lead-off double but stranded the runner 90 feet from home with three consecutive outs.
In the seventh, Stanford extended the lead to three with Handley's sacrifice fly to left, scoring Kyle Stowers, who led off the inning with a single for his third hit of the night. Palisch delivered another scoreless inning, leaving a runner aboard as he froze Acosta on a 2-2 fastball to end the frame.
The Cardinal tacked on another run in the eighth through Tim Tawa's sacrifice fly, scoring Kinamon, who reached base with a single for his second hit of the night. Palisch got the first out of the eight before Grech took over – the junior got two quick outs, including a strikeout, for Stanford's seventh-consecutive scoreless inning.
B9 | Another K for @ZGrech, his 2nd of the night.
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) May 4, 2019
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Kinamon's RBI single brought home another run to make it 8-3 in the ninth before Grech slammed the door with two more punchouts in the final frame.
The three-game series continues Saturday at 6 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks with live statistics available at GoStanford.com. Right-handed pitcher Will Matthiessen is expected to start against the Trojans' Isaac Esqueda. The series concludes on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Cardinal Notes
- It was Stanford's 15th game of the season playing error-free defense.
- The Cardinal improves to 20-1 on the season when scoring first.
- Handley ranks second on the team with 14 multi-hit games.
- Daschbach's reached-base streak extended to 12 games.