STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 8 Stanford Cardinal rallied to score three in the ninth inning and walked it off on a single off the bat of sophomore Jake Sapien to pick up the 6-5 victory over the Cal Golden Bears Tuesday.
Trailing 5-3 headed to the bottom of the ninth, Stanford got even on a two-run home run from sophomore Braden Montgomery. The home run, Montgomery's 10th of the season, came after Tommy Troy dribbled a single to first base to open the frame. Drew Bowser (2-for-5) and Malcolm Moore (2-for-3) followed with singles to put runners at the corners with one out, setting the table for Sapien's walk-off single down the right field line.
Freshman Toran O'Harran (1-1) got the win out of the bullpen for Stanford (26-12). The right-hander went one shutout inning, giving up one hit. Freshman Nick Dugan also pitched well, going four innings, surrendering one run on two hits, walking one and striking out four. Nicolas Lopez got the spot start for the Cardinal, facing the minimum over the first two innings of the game.
Robert Aivazian (0-3) was saddled with the loss after allowing three runs on five hits and one walk over 3 1/3 innings.
Including his single to start the ninth-inning rally, Troy went 3-for-5 in the ballgame with a home run and an RBI. Troy's solo home run, his seventh homer of the year, came in a two-run bottom of the fifth for Stanford.
UP NEXT
Stanford will host UCLA in a three-game Pac-12 series starting on Friday at 7 p.m. The series opener will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
GAME NOTES
» Every Stanford starter reached base safely in the win.
» The walk-off single from Sapien was Stanford's lone hit with runners in scoring position.
» The Tuesday victory is the first for the Cardinal this season (1-4).
» Tuesday's victory marked Stanford's fifth comeback in the seventh inning or later this year, its fifth win in its final at bat this season, and the third walk-off victory.
» Four Cardinal had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Cardinal out-hit the Golden Bears at a 13-7 clip.
» Stanford pitchers faced 35 Cal hitters in the game, allowing 11 ground balls and seven fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Cardinal drew seven walks from Cal pitching.
» Cal was led offensively by sophomore Rodney Green, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
