STANFORD, Calif. – Japanese high school baseball home run king Rintaro Sasaki hit his long-awaited first collegiate home runs on Saturday, including a walk-off three-run blast to force a run-rule 11-1 victory over Duke (12-8, 2-3 ACC) to secure a series win for the No. 18 Cardinal (14-3, 4-1 ACC) from Sunken Diamond.
Sasaki’s first home run of the day was a solo shot leading off the bottom of the fifth inning, while his walk-off homer came with two outs in the eighth. The left-handed hitting slugger finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and four RBIs.
Including Sasaki’s two, Stanford launched a season-high five home runs in the victory. Junior Jimmy Nati homered in the bottom of the second to break a scoreless game, Tatum Marsh connected for a two-run blast that highlighted a four-run fourth inning, and Brady Reynolds added a solo homer of his own in the fifth.
While the long ball was the story on Saturday, sophomore left-hander Christian Lim was stellar in his start for the Cardinal. The native of Nashville, Tenn. worked six innings, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out two to record the victory and move to 2-2 on the season.
Sophomore Ryan Speshyock tossed the final two scoreless innings for Stanford, allowing just one hit while striking out two.
Duke starter Andrew Healy was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk. The left-hander dropped to 1-2 on the season with the decision.
Stanford will look to complete a series sweep of the Blue Devils on Sunday when the two teams conclude the series at 1:05 p.m. Right-hander Joey Volchko is scheduled to make the start for Stanford opposite righty Ryan Higgins for Duke.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford is 14-3 to start a season for the first time since opening the 2021 campaign at 14-3 … is +17 in home runs this season, launching 26 compared to nine allowed … has homered in 15 consecutive games (26 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
- The run-rule victory was the second of the season for Stanford after defeating Cal State Fullerton 13-1 in seven innings on February 15
- Walk-off victory was the first for Stanford since Brady Reynolds’ three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to beat Washington State 5-3 on April 5, 2024
- Eight of Stanford’s 11 runs came via the home run (solo homers from Nati, Sasaki and Reynolds; two-run homer from Marsh; three-run homer from Sasaki)
- Temo Becerra (1-for-3) has hit safely in 14 of the 17 games this season
- Trevor Haskins (2-for-5, R, 2 RBIs) has hit safely in all but two of his games played this season, including each of his last three
- Tatum Marsh (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBIs) has hit safely in seven straight games and has reached in 13 consecutive
- Jimmy Nati (1-for-4, R, HR, RBI) has hit safely in all but two games this season, including each of his last three
- Brady Reynolds (1-for-3, 2 R, HR, RBI) connected for his team-best sixth home run of the season
- Rintaro Sasaki (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBIs) has hit safely in 13 of his first 17 collegiate games and has reached in all but one contest … posted his first multi-homer game of his career … multi-homer game was the first for Stanford since Malcolm Moore had two vs. Arizona State on May 21, 2024 … matched his career high in RBIs (4 at Cal State Fullerton on February 15, 2025) and collected three hits for the third time in his career (most recently vs. Washington on February 24, 2025)
- Charlie Saum (1-for-3, BB) has hit safely in four straight games and 11 of 17 overall this season