STANFORD, Calif. – Senior left-hander Rob Evans pitched a gem as Miami (28-10, 9-7 ACC) took the opener of a three-game ACC series 6-3 over Stanford (16-18, 6-10 ACC) from Sunken Diamond on Friday night.
Evans tossed 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out eight to improve to 8-1 on the season.
Facing Cardinal starter Quinten Marsh, the Hurricanes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a pair of runs in the first inning. Jake Ogden singled to start the game before Daniel Cuvet laced a rule-book double to right-center field to put two in scoring position. Miami traded a pair of runs for outs on the next two plays as Alex Sosa grounded a ball to second to plate the first run before Derek Williams contributed a sacrifice fly.
Sophomore Parker Warner took over for Q. Marsh in the second and pitched well, logging 4 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs with three strikeouts. With Warner tossing zeros in the second and third, Stanford managed to cut the lead in half at 2-1 on an RBI-single from Rintaro Sasaki in the bottom of the third inning.
Refusing to surrender any momentum, Miami answered the Cardinal run with two in the fourth – including the first on a Brylan West single to center field. The Cardinal handed Miami its second run of the inning as Warner declared the windup with a runner at third but instead pitched out of the stretch which resulted in a balk and made it 4-1 Hurricanes.
Eric Jeon gave the Cardinal a spark in the sixth inning when he connected for his eighth home run of the season to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Evans limited the damage from there.
Still leading 4-2 headed to the ninth, Miami plated a pair of unearned runs following a bobble at shortstop from Charlie Bates with two outs that kept the inning alive for Cuvet. The junior third baseman completed a 3-for-5 day at the plate by lacing a 2-0 pitch off the wall in right-center field for a two-RBI double that scored runners from first and third.
The Cardinal plated the game’s final run in the bottom of the ninth after taking advantage of a fielding error charged to Ogden at second base. With Tatum Marsh at second following a walk and defensive indifference, Nolan Stoll dribbled a ground ball toward Ogden that trickled under the defender’s glove and into shallow right field and allowed Marsh to scamper home. Ryan Bilka, who worked the ninth inning and was charged with the unearned run, righted the ship from there by inducing a ground ball to third off the bat of Brock Sell for the final out.
Stanford will look to even the series on Saturday when the two teams meet for a 2:05 p.m. first pitch. Saturday is Stanford’s Cardinalpalooza on The Farm and continues Players’ Weekend at Sunken Diamond.
GAME NOTES:
- Stanford has homered in 24 of the last 26 games
- Eric Jeon (1-for-4, R, HR, RBI) has hit safely in nine straight games and has reached in 15 straight ... is hitting .333 (18-for-54) with 12 runs scored, two doubles, six home runs and 10 RBIs in ACC play
- JJ Moran (1-for-3, HBP) has a hit in 25 of the 34 games this season
- Rintaro Sasaki (1-for-4, RBI) has hit safely in six of his last seven games, nine of his last 12 and 20 of his last 26 games ... has reached base in all but three games this season … has driven in 13 runs while scoring 14 runs in ACC play
- Kassius Thomas was charged with two unearned runs, but has not allowed an earned run while surrendering six hits with eight strikeouts over his last eight appearances spanning 10 innings