STANFORD, Calif. – Freshman starter Christian Lim dealt 6 1/3 scoreless innings, and the Cardinal carried a 1-0 lead into the ninth, but Creighton (17-3) scored eight runs in the top of the ninth inning to earn an 8-2 victory and clinch a series win over the Cardinal (9-11) on Sunday from Sunken Diamond.
Lim allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out a career-best 11 batters. The native of Nashville, Tenn. retired 12 straight from the second out in the second inning through one out in the sixth. Lim recorded eight of his first nine outs via the strikeout, including striking out back-to-back hitters to strand the bases loaded in the first.
Jimmy Nati broke a scoreless game in the third inning, punching a one-out single into center field to chase home Ethan Hott.
Protecting the one-run lead, sophomore Kassius Thomas took over from Lim with one out and nobody aboard in the seventh. The right-hander recorded four outs, but issued a two-out free pass in the eighth to force Stanford to summon Toran O'Harran from the bullpen.
O'Harran induced a fly ball to left to close the eighth, and trotted back out for the ninth, but immediately ran into trouble when Colby Canales singled in front of a walk to put the first two on in the final frame. After two pitches of showing bunt, Hogan Helligso did not square, instead lacing an RBI-double off the wall in left field to tie the game at 1-1 and leave runners at second and third. Two sacrifice flies followed, handing Creighton the 3-1 advantage.
With the game still in reach, Creighton mounted a two-out rally, plating five two-out runs on five hits and one walk to blow the game wide open. Teddy Deters' second triple of the game accounted for two of the runs, while run-scoring hits from Nolan Sailors, Jack Torosian and Will MacLean all helped widen the margin.
Sophomore Malcolm Moore did manage to connect for his sixth home run of the year leading off the bottom of the ninth, but the run was not enough to change the momentum of the contest.
For Moore, the home run capped a 2-for-4 day that included a walk while hitting out of the leadoff spot in the order.
Stanford will look to salvage the series on Monday at 11:05 a.m.
GAME NOTES:
- Lim's 11 strikeouts surpassed his previous career high of 10 set at Rice on March 2, 2024 … the quality start was his third of the season and third in his last four turns … has now allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last four starts.
- The Cardinal left 12 runners on base and finished the game 3-for-22 hitting with runners aboard ... had runners at second and third with nobody out in the sixth, but did not score.
- Cort MacDonald (1-for-3) has hit safely in five straight games … has now reached in all but two of his games played this year, hitting safely in all those contests.
- Temo Becerra (0-for-4) had a six-game hitting streak snapped.
- O'Harran (0-2) was saddled with the loss after being charged with five runs on three hits and two walks over an inning of work.
- Malakai Vetock (2-0) was credited with the victory after pitching the final 2 1/3 innings for the Bluejays.
- The Cardinal carried a shutout into the ninth and was in search of its first shutout since blanking Santa Clara 19-0 on the road May 17, 2022.
- Sunday's eight-run ninth inning marks the most runs Stanford has allowed in a frame this year (previous: 7 in the bottom of the third at Washington on March 10) … Stanford is now 0-6 in games in which it allows an opponent to score four-plus runs in an inning, and has allowed eight such innings this year.