STANFORD, Calif. – Concluding an eight-game homestand with its fourth game in as many days, Stanford (3-5) received seven extra-base hits, including two homers from graduate student Owen Cobb, in a 9-4 victory over San Jose State on Monday from Sunken Diamond.
Cobb, who hit a grand slam in Sunday's 9-5 victory over Penn State, posted solo homers in the fifth and seventh innings to record his first career multi-homer game. The native of Seattle, Wash. has now hit a team-best three homers this season, running his career total to nine.
Joining Cobb with two-hit days were Jimmy Nati, Malcolm Moore, Trevor Haskins, Temo Becerra, and Brady Reynolds.
Nati and Reynolds each collected a pair of doubles in the victory, while Haskins added one two-bagger of his own.
After San Jose State got on the board first in the first inning, Stanford immediately responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning – highlighted by the first of two RBI-doubles from Reynolds.
The freshman added his second run-scoring double in the third, pushing Stanford's advantage to 4-1 after three innings, before Nati shot a run-scoring double into left-center field in the fifth to make it 5-1.
San Jose State managed to cut the deficit to two at 5-3 in the fifth, but Cobb got the momentum right back with his first homer of the day in the bottom of the inning.
A Dalton Bowling home run for the Spartans in the seventh was again answered with a long ball from Cobb in the home half. M. Moore tacked on one more in that inning with an RBI-single before Charlie Saum drove in his third run of the year with a single into right-center field to chase home Temo Becerra in the eighth to cap the scoring.
While the offense was on full display on Monday, Stanford's pitching staff also impressed. Sophomore Trevor Moore got the start and went the first 4 2/3 innings, allowing three unearned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out a career-high tying four.
Freshmen Ryan Speshyock and Ben Reimers were the first two relievers used for the Cardinal, with Speshyock retiring the side in the fifth before eventually recording two outs in the sixth, but handing the ball to Reimers with the bases loaded.
Reimers struck out Robert Hamchuk to escape the jam and strand all three runners in the sixth – one of three strikeouts on the day for Reimers. The native of Aliso Viejo, Calif. would also work the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just one run on a solo homer in the seventh, to record the victory and move to 1-1 on the season.
Sophomore Kassius Thomas entered and pitched the ninth inning, allowing a one-out single before inducing a game-ending 5-4-3 double play to seal the victory.
Stanford will hit the road for the first time in 2024 this weekend, traveling to Texas for a three-game series at Rice beginning on Friday at 4:30 p.m. PT.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford has won back-to-back games for the first time this season.
- Cobb's multi-homer game is the first for Stanford since Carter Graham had a pair at Washington State on May 20, 2023.
- Cobb is the first Stanford player to homer in consecutive games since Drew Bowser launched a round-tripper in all three game of a Super Regional against Texas from June 10-12, 2023 … he is also the first Cardinal to homer in consecutive at bats since Tommy Troy at Washington State on May 18, 2023.
- Stanford posted a season-best nine runs for the second consecutive game.
- The Cardinal, which was 1-for-4 in stolen bases entering Monday, swiped three bags in four attempts.
- Surrendering a run in the top of the first on Monday, the Cardinal has now allowed the first run in all but one contest this year (15-4 loss to Penn State on February 23).
- Nati (2-for-4, 2 2B, R, RBI) has now hit safely in all eight games this season … has posted five multi-hit games in the first eight contests.
- Cort MacDonald (1-for-3, 3 R) extended his hitting streak to seven games.
- The start was T. Moore's first of the season and second of his career … had previously not pitched more than two innings in an outing in his career.