CORVALLIS, Ore. – Stanford scored first on a solo home run from Jimmy Nati leading off the second inning, but the Cardinal (13-19, 6-8 Pac-12) did not score the rest of the way as No. 5 Oregon State (29-4, 10-3 Pac-12) earned a 3-1 victory to clinch a Pac-12 series victory.
For Nati, the home run was his third of the season and came as part of a 2-for-4 day that also included a double.
Stanford nearly extended the lead to 2-0 in the third inning as Ethan Hott drew a one-out walk and moved to second on a bunt single from Owen Cobb. Cort MacDonald shot a single into right field on the ensuing play, and Hott turned third and tried to score, but he was cut down at the plate by a strong throw from Gavin Turley in right.
The 1-0 cushion held into the fifth as Stanford starter Christian Lim navigated his way through traffic in the early frames. The left-hander allowed a leadoff double to Travis Bazzana in the fifth inning before issuing a walk to Gavin Turley to put two aboard with nobody out. After a wild pitch moved the runners to second and third, Lim struck out Mason Guerra and Brady Kasper to relieve some pressure. Needing one more out to escape the jam, the Cardinal called to the bullpen and summoned freshman Joey Volchko who promptly allowed a two-RBI single into right field from Wilson Weber to put the Beavers on top 2-1.
With Volchko allowing the two inherited runners to score, Lim was put on the hook for a loss after being charged with two runs on three hits while issuing five walks and a hit-by-pitch with four strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. The left-hander dropped to 3-3 on the season.
The Cardinal immediately threatened in the sixth inning, benefitting from a leadoff double from Cobb, but Stanford was unable to situationally move the runner before eventually stranding a pair on back-to-back strikeouts of Nati and Luke Lavin from Beaver starter Jacob Kmatz.
Allowing just the home run to Nati, Kmatz finished the night having struck out six Cardinal batters while scattering six hits and a walk over six innings to improve to 5-1 on the year.
Adding insurance, the second home run of the series from Dallas Macias extended the Oregon State lead to 3-1 in the seventh. The homer, Macias' fourth of the season, came on a 2-0 pitch with two outs after Cardinal reliever Trevor Moore struck out the first two hitters in the inning.
Never surrendering, Stanford put the tying runs aboard in the ninth, but Beaver reliever Bridger Holmes struck out Trevor Haskins to end the game and convert the save. Holmes was outstanding in relief for Oregon State, allowing just a double to Nati and a walk in the ninth while striking out four over 2 1/3 innings. The hard-throwing right-hander used a sweeping slider to keep the Cardinal uncomfortable at the plate while converting his eighth save of the year.
Stanford will aim to salvage the series on Sunday when the two teams finish off the three-game set at noon.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford has lost four straight and has dropped 13 of the last 18 after winning seven of its previous eight.
- The Cardinal out-hit Oregon State 8-5 in the loss … fell to 11-6 when posting more hits than its opponent this season.
- Nati (2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI) has hit safely in all but nine games this season, and has reached in all but seven … posted his team-best 12th multi-hit game of the season.
- The Cardinal has scored one run through 18 innings in the series against No. 5 Oregon State.
- Lim (4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K) issued a season-high five walks as Stanford walked 12 Oregon State hitters (Lim – 5, Joey Volchko – 2, T. Moore – 5) … the 12 walks are the second-most Issued by the Cardinal this year and Saturday's game marked the third time this year that Stanford has issued double-digit walks.
- MacDonald (1-for-4) has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, and 15 of his last 17, and has reached safely in all but three games this year … has hit safely in all but four contests on the season.