STANFORD, Calif. - The No. 4 Stanford Cardinal (34-13, 20-6 Pac-12) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and never trailed from there on the way to a 9-2 victory over the Arizona Wildcats (26-22, 9-17 Pac-12) on Saturday to clinch its second consecutive Pac-12 title.
The back-to-back crowns, running Stanford's overall total to 21 conference championships, are the first for Stanford since 2003 and 2004. This is also the first time a team has won consecutive Pac-12 titles since Oregon State in 2013 and 2014.
Junior Joey Dixon (5-0) started on the mound and picked up the win for Stanford. The right-hander went 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run on four hits, allowing two walks and striking out two. Junior Brandt Pancer pitched the next 1 2/3 innings before freshman Matt Scott retired the side in the ninth to seal the victory.
Junior Tommy Troy led the way offensively for the Cardinal, going 2-for-5 in the ballgame with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Troy's homer, a two-run shot in the fifth, was his 11th of the season.
Sophomore Braden Montgomery homered for the third consecutive game, lacing a two-run homer off the batter's eye in center field for his 13th homer of the season to get the scoring started and claim a lead the Cardinal would not relinquish. Montgomery finished the game 2-for-4.
Junior Drew Bowser went 3-for-3 with a double, while Carter Graham and Owen Cobb each chipped in two hits. Graham finished 2-for-4 with his 12th homer of the season, two runs scored and two RBIs.
Freshman Malcolm Moore was the final Cardinal to homer, running Stanford's game total to four two-run home shots, when he cranked one of his own in the seventh inning. The round-tripper was Moore's 10th of the season.
Dixon faced the minimum through three innings, and did not allow a hit until two out in the fourth.
UP NEXT
Stanford will look to secure a series sweep over the Wildcats on Sunday when the two teams conclude the series at 12:05 p.m. Sunday's finale is also Senior Day on The Farm, as Stanford will recognize its seven-player senior class.
GAME NOTES
» Clarke and Elizabeth Nelson Director of Baseball David Esquer has now guided Stanford to three Pac-12 titles in his six seasons on The Farm (2018, 2022, 2023).
» Stanford has now won seven straight games, 10 of 11, 11 of 13, and 12 of 15 overall.
» With four more on Saturday, Stanford's offense has now launched 86 home runs in 47 games (1.83 per game) ... the Cardinal boasts five players with double-digit home runs.
» Montgomery is the first Cardinal player to homer in three straight games since Tommy Troy homered in all three games at Arizona State May 5-7.
» Graham (14 games), Alberto Rios (11 games; 1-for-3) and Bowser (11 games) each extended hitting streaks on Saturday afternoon.
» Five Cardinal had multiple hits in the ballgame.
» The Cardinal out-hit the Wildcats at a 14-6 clip.
» Stanford pitchers faced 33 Arizona hitters in the game, allowing seven ground balls and 15 fly balls while striking out three.
» Arizona was led offensively by junior Cameron LaLiberte, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and an RBI.
