FULLERTON, Calif. - The No. 3 Stanford Cardinal fought back from down 11-6 in the ninth inning to win in breathtaking fashion, rallying to earn a 21-13 victory over Cal State Fullerton in 10 innings on Sunday.
The Cardinal outscored the Titans 15-2 in the final two frames of a wild game to earn a road series victory.
Sophomore Braden Montgomery (1-0) got the win for Stanford (2-1). The right-hander went two innings, giving up one run on one hit, allowing two walks and striking out three. Senior Nicolas Lopez also pitched well, going 1 1/3 shutout innings without allowing a hit, walking none and striking out three.
Playing big on both sides of the ball, Montgomery also delivered a clutch three-RBI double in the top of the ninth inning to cap a seven-run frame for the Cardinal. He finished the game 2 for 5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Freshman Malcolm Moore led the way offensively for the Cardinal, going 3-for-6 in the ballgame with two home runs, a walk and four RBI. Junior Carter Graham provided a standout day at the dish as well, going 2-for-5 with a double, a home run, two walks and four RBI. Junior Drew Bowser also contributed, going 2-for-4 for Stanford with a double, a home run, three walks and three RBI.
The multi-homer game is the first of Moore's career. He has now homered three times in his first three collegiate games.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Cardinal got the scoring started early, putting three runs on the board in the top of the first, highlighted by a two-run homer from Graham.
The Titans then rallied to score six runs and take a 6-3 lead before the Cardinal got back on the board in the fifth. Stanford picked up a run on Moore's two-out solo home run off of sophomore Jason Blood, which brought the score to 6-4 in favor of the Titans.
CSU Fullerton built their lead to 7-4 before the Stanford offense got back to work, reducing that lead to 7-6 in the seventh on Moore's second homer of the game.
The Titans expanded their lead to 11-6 before the Stanford offense got back in gear, grabbing the lead in the ninth. The Cardinal scored seven runs in the inning, highlighted by a three-run home run off the bat of Bowser, bringing the score to 13-11 in favor of Stanford.
CSU Fullerton fired back to tie the game at 13 before the Cardinal reclaimed a 21-13 advantage in the 10th inning. The Stanford offense piled up eight runs, highlighted by a two-run single off the bat of junior Alberto Rios and a two-run triple from senior Owen Cobb.
The eight-run 10th inning finally put an end to the thrilling game, as Montgomery retired the side without incident.
GAME NOTES
» Stanford got three-hit games from both Moore (3-for-6, 2 HR, 4 R, 4 RBIs) and Cobb (3-for-6, 3B, 2 R, 2 RBIs).
» The Cardinal combined for 10 extra-base hits (4 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR).
» Moore and Graham each drove in four runs for Stanford.
» The Stanford pitching staff combined to strike out 16 Fullerton hitters, including four from sophomore Ty Uber over 2 2/3 innings.
» The Cardinal out-hit the Titans at a 16-12 clip.
» Stanford went 6-for-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position.
» The Cardinal drew 13 walks from CSU Fullerton pitching.
» The two teams combined to use 17 pitchers (eight from Stanford and nine from Cal State Fullerton).
» With the two-hit day, Montgomery has reached in 29 consecutive games dating back to last season.
» Eddie Park (0-for-6, R, BB) had a 15-game hit streak snapped (.492, 29x59, 12 R, 4 2B, 5 RBIs).
UP NEXT
Stanford will host California in a non-conference game on Tuesday at 6:05 p.m. The game will serve as Stanford's home opener and will be followed by a three-game weekend series against Rice starting on Friday.