NCAA Baseball regional: Stanford blasts Sacramento State to open postseason
Sacramento State entered its postseason opener against Stanford hot -- the Hornets had won eight straight games -- but the Cardinal came in a cut above, scorching to the tune of wins in 21 of their final 23 games.
Make that 22 of 24.
Behind a masterful eight-inning, 11-strikeout shutout performance from Kris Bubic, Stanford spanked Sacramento State 10-0 to open the NCAA Regional. The No. 8 Cardinal, who'll have home-field advantage throughout the first two rounds of this postseason provided they continue winning, took the first step to Omaha on Thursday evening.
Moving on #GoStanford #RoadToOmaha #FinalSeas9n pic.twitter.com/RYWaHKgDub
— Stanford Baseball (@StanfordBSB) June 2, 2017
The Cardinal were heavy favorites, and this showed as the offense overwhelmed the Hornets with runs in the game's first four innings. A four-run seventh, highlighted by homers with Matt Winaker and Quinn Brodey, made this one a laugher.
Jack Klein also chipped in as part of Stanford's 13-hit parade.
The road gets tougher tomorrow. Stanford faces Cal State Fullerton, a team that beat them in two of three games to open the season, at 6 p.m. PT. Left Andrew Summerville will take the mound for the Cardinal, who can advance to Saturday's regional championship with a win.
This is the 41st and final season for Stanford coach Mark Marquess, who has announced that he will retire at the end of the Cardinal's 2017 run. At this point, that's still at least two games away. But given how well Stanford is playing, it appears they'll be alive for longer than that.