STANFORD, Calif. – Freshman Christian Lim worked a career-high seven strong innings, allowing a run on just three hits and two walks while striking out six, to guide Stanford (9-8, 3-2 Pac-12) to a 7-1 victory over USC (5-13, 2-3 Pac-12) and even a three-game Pac-12 series from Sunken Diamond.
Lim, who improved to 2-2 with the victory, faced the minimum over the final 4 1/3 innings, allowing a one-out single in the fifth before a caught stealing and a strikeout retired the side. The effort marked Lim's second quality start of the year, while his 97 pitches matched a career high.
Stanford's offense scored the seven runs on 14 hits – including three from Owen Cobb. Batting out of the ninth spot in the order, Cobb finished 3-for-4 with a run scored, a double and three RBIs.
Playing on his birthday, Trevor Haskins also managed multiple hits, batting 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a pair of doubles. Ethan Hott and Brandon Larson joined Cobb and Haskins with multi-hit games, as both players tallied a pair of singles.
Sophomore right-hander Kassius Thomas took over for Lim in the eighth inning, tossing the final two scoreless frames and stranding the bases loaded in the ninth to secure the victory.
The Cardinal managed to get on the board first in the first inning, as Jimmy Nati scampered home on a wild pitch from Trojan starter Tyler Stromsborg to make it 1-0.
Stromsborg contributed 3 1/3 innings for USC, allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six. The right-hander was eventually charged with the loss, dropping to 0-4 with the decision.
After USC tied the game at a run apiece in the third, back-to-back doubles from Haskins and Cobb put the Cardinal on top for good in the fourth. Hott followed with an RBI-single one play later, capping a two-run frame that saw Stanford take a 3-1 after four.
A sac fly from Temo Becerra in the fifth extended the lead to 4-1 before a passed ball on a called third strike allowed an unearned run to plate in the sixth.
Cobb put an exclamation mark on his day in the seventh inning, shooting a one-out, two-RBI single back up the box to run Stanford's advantage to the eventual final of 7-1. The single plated pinch runner Brett Blair and Haskins, with the latter reaching on his second double of the afternoon.
The two teams will play the rubber game of the three-game series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford has now won eight of its last 11 games.
- Brady Reynolds (1-for-3) extended his hitting streak to seven games with a single in the third inning.
- Cobb (3-for-4, 2B, R, 3 RBIs) recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the season, including his third three-hit contest … also managed his third multi-RBI contest.
- Nati (1-for-4, R) has now reached safely in all but one game this season, and has hit safely in all but two.
- Cort MacDonald (1-for-1) entered as a defensive replacement before getting a hit in his lone plate appearance … has now reached in all but two of his games played this year, hitting safely in all those contests.
- The Cardinal allowed the first run in seven of its first eight games of the season, but has now scored first in seven of the last nine.
- The 14 hits for the Cardinal matched a season high (vs. San Jose State, February 26).
- Stanford challenged a caught stealing call in the bottom of the fourth inning, but had the call on the field upheld … it was the 12th challenge that Stanford has been involved in this year (fifth initiated by the Cardinal) and all 12 have been upheld.