SURPRISE, Ariz. – Trailing 7-2 headed to the bottom of the ninth inning, Stanford plated four runs and had the tying run thrown out at the plate for the second out before eventually dropping a 7-6 decision to Michigan on Saturday night from the College Baseball Series – Surprise.
With the loss, the Cardinal dropped to 1-1 on the year, while Michigan improved to 2-0 and clinched the tournament title.
Sophomore Rintaro Sasaki worked a full count and drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the ninth. JJ Moran followed with a single to left field before a fly out left runners at first and second with one out. Ethan Hott provided further life for the Cardinal by splitting the gap in right-center field for a triple that chased home Sasaki and Moran.
With two runs in and still only one out, Michigan elected to call to the bullpen and summon its closer, Gavin DeVooght, to try to end the threat. The right-hander induced a line drive to shortstop, but it was dropped by Drew Culbertson as Hott scampered home to make it 7-5. Leadoff man Tatum Marsh followed with a single back up the middle and took second on the throw into third base trying to nab the lead runner Brock Sell.
With the tying runs now in scoring position, Charlie Bates shot a single into left field. Sell scored with ease from third and Marsh was sent around the bag trying to tie the game. The throw from left fielder Brenden Stressler was a bit offline, but catcher Noah Miller collected and applied the tag on Marsh in a bang-bang play at the plate that was ultimately upheld following a review.
Still not out of the woods after Bates took second on the throw home to get Marsh, DeVooght righted the ship and slammed the door with a strikeout of Jimmy Nati that earned him his second save of the season.
Stanford starter Aidan Keenan was saddled with the loss after allowing four runs on three hits and five walks while striking out six. Michigan used two runs in the third and single tallies in the fourth and fifth innings to jump out to the early 4-0 cushion.
The first of two Michigan errors opened the door to Stanford’s first tally of the night in the fifth as a two-out chopper up the first base line skipped under the glove of Matthew Ossenfort and extended the inning for Hott. The senior punched a single down the right field line and chased home Brady Reynolds from second base.
Reynolds, who had reached with a leadoff single, finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored.
Michigan would respond with a run in the seventh before Stanford plated a run on a wild pitch in the eighth, sending the game to the ninth with the Cardinal trailing 5-2. The Wolverines added what proved to be crucial insurance runs in the top of the ninth as Stressler doubled home a run before coming around to score on a two-out single from Miller.
Trevor Moore, Liam Golden, Andrew Shaw and Kassius Thomas each made their season debuts out of the bullpen on Saturday, with Shaw posting four strikeouts and a pair of pickoffs over two innings in his first career appearance. Thomas also shined as Stanford’s final reliever, recording all three outs by way of strikeout in the ninth after taking over for Shaw.
Michigan starter Cade Montgomery stymied the Cardinal bats over the first 6 1/3 innings, allowing just one unearned run on five hits and a walk while striking out five. The right-hander was ultimately credited with the victory and moved to 1-0.
Stanford will conclude tournament play on Sunday when it meets No. 12 Oregon State for an 11 a.m. PT first pitch.
GAME NOTES:
- Charlie Bates (2-for-5, RBI) extended his hitting streak to nine games dating back to the end of the 2025 season (.361, 13-for-36, 8 R, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBIs)
- Ethan Hott (2-for-4, 3B, R, 3 RBIs) has reached in four straight games dating back to the end of the 2025 season
- Luke Lavin (0-for-3, BB) has reached in eight straight games dating back to the end of the 2025 season
- Tatum Marsh (2-for-5, 2B, R) extended his hitting streak to 12 games dating back to the end of the 2025 season (.404, 21-for-52, 14 R, 5 2B, 2 RBIs)
- Jimmy Nati (0-for-5) had a 10-game hitting streak dating back to the end of the 2025 season snapped
- Brady Reynolds (3-for-4, R) recorded a career-high three hits for the seventh time (last: at Boston College on May 4, 2025)