STANFORD, Calif. – Sophomore
Kris Bubic allowed just one earned run in a career-high seven innings and No. 18 Stanford rallied to win its sixth straight, 3-2, over No. 13 Arizona at Sunken Diamond on Thursday night.
Stanford (25-12, 9-7 Pac-12) got back-to-back doubles to turn a one-run deficit into a one-run lead in the seventh inning. The Cardinal trailed 2-1 when sophomore
Brandon Wulff, who homered earlier in the game, reached on an error with one out. Freshman catcher
Maverick Handley worked a full count and then belted a line drive into left center to score Wulff and tie the game. Three pitches later, junior
Matt Winaker roped a double off the wall in right center to give the Cardinal a 3-2 lead.
Junior
Colton Hock recorded the last six outs for his 10th save of the year. He is just the third Cardinal to record double-digit saves in a single season. Hock, who also ranks second all-time at Stanford with 19 career saves, allowed just one hit and picked off the runner at first to end the game.
Bubic struggled out of the gate as Arizona (27-13, 9-10 Pac-12) took a 1-0 lead in its first at-bat. The Wildcats used three hits and a sacrifice fly, and forced Bubic into 26 pitches. However, the southpaw from San Jose, California, settled in. Bubic scattered eight hits and struck out four. He retired the last seven hitters he faced.
The Wildcats capitalized on an error in the fourth for a 2-0 edge, but Wulff cut the deficit in half with a two-out home run to left center in the bottom of the fourth.
NUMBERS…
Bubic improved to 4-6 this season with his second straight win. Senior
Jack Klein registered his second straight multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance and improved his team-leading average to .341. Wulff finished 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI. Handley was 1-for-3 with a run and his RBI double, while
Quinn Brodey was 1-for-3 with a double and walk, and Winaker finished 1-for-4 with the game-winning RBI double.
AND NOTABLES
Stanford has won six games in a row for the second time this season (Feb. 19-28) ... Winaker extended his hit streak to eight games with his RBI double … Steve Chitren (13 in 1987 and 10 in 1988) and Jeff Bruksch (13 in 2000) are the only other Cardinal with double-digit saves in a season ... Wulff's home run was his second of the season and third of his career … Stanford has started a left-handed pitcher in 28 straight games ... Stanford is 12-3 when Handley starts and 25-6 when scoring at least one run this season ... The Cardinal is 20-0 when leading after seven innings ... Stanford has won the series opener in back-to-back weeks after losing the first four Pac-12 openers of the year.
WHAT'S AHEAD
Stanford hosts the 2016 national runner-up for two more at Sunken Diamond. Friday is the Trading Card giveaway (set 4 of 5) and first pitch is set for 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Network. Saturday has a 2 p.m. first pitch and is Classroom Cardinal where local students earned free tickets for reaching their reading goals.
SOCIAL SCENE
For the latest updates, you can follow Cardinal baseball all year long on instagram, twitter and snapchat (@StanfordBSB).
