CORVALLIS, Ore. – Junior Quinn Mathews struck out a career-high tying 11 batters over seven relief innings as Stanford (14-9, 6-6 Pac-12) erased a 5-0 deficit and secured a three-game Pac-12 series victory with an 8-5 win over No. 3 Oregon State (20-7, 7-5 Pac-12) on Sunday.
Mathews entered the game with the bases loaded and nobody out in the third inning, but struggled with his command, walking in three runs and ultimately issuing four free passes in a four-run frame for Oregon State.
Trailing 5-0 after three, Stanford began its comeback in the fourth, plating three runs on three hits to cut the deficit to 5-3. Carter Graham and Brett Barrera singled to start the rally before Kody Huff, who went 1 for 3 with two runs scored, doubled down the left field line to plate the first run. Brock Jones and Drew Bowser followed with productive outs to chase home the final two runs.
With Stanford's offense beginning to heat up, Mathews found his rhythm. The left-hander worked around leadoff singles in the fourth and fifth innings to keep the momentum with the visiting dugout.
The comeback was completed in the sixth when Graham and Barrera jump-started another rally. The pair doubled this time around, leaving runners at second and third with nobody out. A walk to Huff loaded the bases before a wild pitch ran the tally to 5-4. Following a strikeout, Bowser chopped a ball to third that slipped under the glove of Kyle Dernedde and allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to plate.
Graham and Barrera both finished the game with two hits and a pair of runs scored. Jones also managed two hits, including a double in the eighth inning.
Mathews retired the side in order in the sixth, including collecting two strikeouts, for the shutdown inning.
Sophomore Tommy Troy added insurance runs in the eighth, lacing a two-RBI double into left-center field to push the Cardinal advantage to 8-5.
Mathews, who threw 120 pitches, trotted back out for the bottom of the eighth, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning, before striking out the side in order in the ninth to collect the victory and move to 4-1 on the season. All told, the native of Aliso Viejo, Calif. faced one over the minimum with eight strikeouts over his final four innings of work.
Over two appearances in the series, Mathews recorded a victory and a save while allowing one run over eight innings with 13 strikeouts.
The Cardinal will head back to The Farm for four games next week, beginning with a midweek tilt against Saint Mary's on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. Stanford will then continue Pac-12 play with a three-game series against Arizona State next weekend.
