STANFORD, Calif. – Hosting Arizona on Monday afternoon in a nonconference game from Sunken Diamond, Stanford (13-17) suffered a 12-1 loss in eight innings as the Wildcats (18-13) took advantage of five walks and four hit by pitches issued by Cardinal hurlers.
Arizona shortstop Mason White connected for a pair of three-run home runs to finish with six RBIs in the victory for Arizona, connecting for a go-ahead shot in the third inning and capping the day with an opposite-field blast in the eighth to put the run-rule into effect. For White, the homers ran his season total to 13.
Stanford managed to get on the board first on Monday, plating a run on an RBI-single from Trevor Haskins in the second, but the offense could not muster any further production the rest of the way.
White launched the first of his two homers with two out in the third off Cardinal starter Ryan Speshyock – putting the freshman on the hook for the loss as he dropped to 0-1 after allowing four runs on four hits over three innings.
Leading 4-1 headed to the fifth, Arizona scored four runs without the benefit of a hit in the frame – taking advantage of three hit batters, three walks and an error to push the lead to 8-1.
Xavier Esquer, the son of Stanford skipper David Esquer, drove in Arizona's ninth run of the game in the seventh before White blew the game wide open with his three-run shot in the eighth to make it 12-1.
Stanford will continue Pac-12 play this week when it travels to No. 5 Oregon State for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
- The Cardinal has won two of its last four games, but has dropped 11 of the last 16 after winning seven of its previous eight.
- Cort MacDonald (1-for-2) has now hit safely in eight straight games and has reached in all but three contests this year - hitting safely in each of those games.
- Haskins (2-for-3, RBI) extended his hitting streak to nine games … he is batting 16-for-35 (.457) with eight runs scored, four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs over the streak.
- Speshyock (3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 K) made his first career start and matched a season-high in innings pitched (UNLV, February 19)