STANFORD, Calif. – Sophomore Nick Dugan impressed in his first start of the season, and Owen Cobb contributed a pair of triples and a double, to guide Stanford (1-2) to a 4-1 victory in the finale of a three-game series against Cal State Fullerton (2-1) on Sunday from Sunken Diamond.
Dugan tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on five hits with no walks while striking out five to move to 1-0 on the season. The only blemish on Dugan's line came on a solo home run from Colby Wallace in the top of the second inning.
Cobb, who finished 3-for-5 while hitting out of the leadoff spot in the order, tripled down the left field line with one out in the third inning, but was stranded there as Stanford trailed 1-0 headed to the fifth. The native of Seattle, Wash. kickstarted the offense once more in the fifth, shooting an RBI-triple down the line in right field to plate Saborn Campbell and draw the Cardinal even at 1-1. He would ultimately scamper home with what proved to be the game-winning run on a wild pitch.
Sophomore Kassius Thomas was impressive once again in his second appearance for the Cardinal, inheriting a runner at first with one out in the sixth before working out of the jam. He would then record a scoreless seventh inning of work to maintain the one-run advantage headed to the seventh inning stretch.
Campbell led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, bringing sophomore Cort MacDonald to the plate in a potential sacrifice bunt situation. After showing bunt and working the count to 2-1, MacDonald once again showed, pulled back and laced a fastball over the wall in right-center field to push the lead to 4-1.
The home run was the first of MacDonald's career and the second of the season for Stanford.
Looking to punch right back, the Titans managed to load the bases with one out in the eighth inning, but sophomore Toran O'Harran entered from the Cardinal bullpen and struck out back-to-back pinch hitters to put out the fire.
Freshman Aidan Keenan finished off the victory in the ninth, walking the leadoff man in the inning before retiring the next three without issue to earn his first career save.
The Cardinal will conclude a string of four games in the first four days of the season on Monday, welcoming UNLV to campus for a noon first pitch. The game will be broadcast live on Pac-12 Networks with Roxy Bernstein and Dean Stotz on the call.
GAME NOTES
- With eight more strikeouts on Sunday, Stanford pitchers have struck out 37 batters in 27 innings of work this year
- Stanford is now 7-1 in Dugan's eight career starts
- Stanford struck out just three times offensively in the victory
- Cobb's two-triple game was the first for a Cardinal player since Andrew Daschbach had a pair against Oregon State on May 17, 2019
- Stanford has now totaled two triples in back-to-back games
- 2024 marked the 11th time since 2000 (12th overall) that Stanford opened the season with a three-game series against Cal State Fullerton … despite dropping the series this year, the Cardinal is now 7-4 in the 11 series since 2000 and is 20-13 overall in those games
- In addition to Cobb's three extra-base hits and MacDonald's home run, Trevor Haskins posted a pair of doubles to help guide Stanford to six extra-base hits in the win … Haskins is now hitting .429 (3-for-7) through two games played this season