STANFORD, Calif. – No. 18 Stanford (13-3, 3-1 ACC) took the opening game of a three-game ACC series with Duke (12-7, 2-2 ACC) 5-1 on Friday night from Sunken Diamond behind a strong start from junior Matt Scott and a solo homer from senior Charlie Saum that sparked a four-run sixth inning.
Scott was outstanding in his fifth start of the season, working six innings and allowing just one run on three hits and one walk while striking out eight. The only real blemish on Scott’s line came in the third inning as Jake Hyde tripled into the right-center field gap before scampering home on a two-out RBI-double from Wallace Clark to put the Blue Devils on the board first.
Scott, who improved to 4-0 on the season, struck out two batters in the third, fourth and fifth innings while navigating the six frames by way of 87 pitches.
Trailing 1-0 headed to the bottom of the fifth, Stanford managed to draw even on a two-out, RBI-single from Brandon Larson. Temo Becerra led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch – one of three drawn by Stanford in the game – before a two-out walk to Trevor Haskins kept the inning alive for Larson. The second hitter in Stanford’s lineup, Larson lined an 0-1 pitch into left-center field to chase home Becerra from second base and knot the game at 1-1.
After Scott turned in a 1-2-3 shutdown inning in the top of the sixth, Stanford’s bats came alive for four runs on six hits to take a 5-1 lead it would hold the rest of the way. Saum’s fourth homer of the year led off the inning and broke the stalemate, while RBI-singles from freshmen Charlie Bates, Tatum Marsh and Rintaro Sasaki allowed the Cardinal to extend the lead.
The lengthy sixth inning rest forced the end of Scott’s day on the mound, as the right-hander passed the ball to junior Trevor Moore and the Cardinal bullpen. Moore worked perfect seventh and eighth innings, including striking out three, before sophomore Aidan Keenan entered in the ninth and shut the door on Duke.
Duke left-hander Reid Easterly was saddled with the loss and dropped to 2-1 on the season after allowing four runs on five hits, including Saum's home run, over two-third of an inning. Easterly was one of six Duke pitchers used in the game as the Blue Devils looked to piece together an outing in the series opener.
Stanford will look to secure the series win on Saturday when the two teams continue the three-game series at 2:05 p.m. Sophomore left-hander Christian Lim is scheduled to make the start opposite southpaw Andrew Healy for Duke.
GAME NOTES:
- Friday’s game was the first between the Cardinal and Blue Devils in program history … was the first home ACC game for Stanford
- Stanford is 13-3 to start a season for the first time since opening the 2021 campaign at 14-3 … is +12 in home runs this season, launching 21 compared to nine allowed … has homered in 14 consecutive games (21 total home runs over the span) – the longest streak of games with a homer since belting 52 homers in an 18-game span from May 1 – June 3, 2022
- Including Friday’s come-from-behind victory, the Cardinal has managed seven such wins over the first 16 games to open the season
- Temo Becerra (1-for-2, R, HBP) has hit safely in 13 of the 16 games this season
- Trevor Haskins (1-for-4) has hit safely in all but two of his games played this season
- Aidan Keenan (1 IP, H, K) has allowed just five baserunners over nine appearances and 11 1/3 innings while striking out 14 batters and limiting opponents to a .083 average against
- Brandon Larson (1-for-5, RBI) has hit safely in five of his last six games overall
- Tatum Marsh (1-for-3, HBP, RBI) has hit safely in six straight games and has reached in 12 straight … has been hit by seven pitches this year
- Trevor Moore (2 IP, 3 K) has struck out 19 in 14 2/3 innings (six appearances)
- Jimmy Nati (1-for-4, R) has hit safely in all but two games this season
- Rintaro Sasaki (1-for-4, RBI) has hit safely in 12 of his first 16 collegiate games and has reached in all but one contest
- Charlie Saum (1-for-3, R, HR, RBI) broke a tie game with a solo home run for the second consecutive game after launching a homer to open the fifth inning at No. 4 North Carolina on March 9 … owns eight extra-base hits (four doubles, four homers) and has hit safely in 10 of 16 games this season
- Matt Scott (W, 6 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 8 K, 87 pitches) turned in his third quality start of the season … has now seen Stanford go 17-15 in his 32 career starts … has lasted 5+ innings in four of his first five starts this year