Cardinal Drops Game to Aggies

STANFORD, Calif. - Though it had plenty of opportunities, No. 6 Stanford (39-17) struggled to cash them in, leaving 13 Cardinal on base in an 8-5 loss at the hands of the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies (38-25) on Saturday.

The loss forces Stanford into elimination games the rest of the way in the Stanford Regional.

The Cardinal led 4-2 after three innings, but struggled to get things going the rest of the way. Stanford had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth and the bases loaded with one out in the fifth, but failed to cash in on either opportunity.

With the Stanford bats stalling, Texas A&M made the most of its opportunities on the other side. Leadoff man Hunter Haas did the bulk of the damage, lacing a two-RBI double in the sixth to tie the game before driving in three with a second double in the eighth to give Texas A&M the lead it would not relinquish.

Trailing 8-4, Stanford managed to score one and put the tying run aboard - all with two outs - in the ninth inning, but Owen Cobb flew out to end the game.

Junior Drew Dowd (9-3) took the loss on the mound for Stanford after allowing three runs on four hits over two innings in relief of Joey Dixon. Dixon got the start and left with the lead, ultimately being charged with four runs on five hits and four walks over 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five.

Sophomore Braden Montgomery led the way offensively for the Cardinal, going 1-for-5 in the ballgame with a home run and two RBIs. Montgomery's homer, his 16th of the season, came in the first inning. Freshman Malcolm Moore went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI. Junior Drew Bowser also contributed, going 1-for-3 for Stanford with two walks and an RBI.

UP NEXT
Stanford will have to win three consecutive elimination games to advance out of the Stanford Regional. The string begins on Sunday at noon against Cal State Fullerton. Should the Cardinal survive, it would earn a rematch with Texas A&M on Sunday night at 6 p.m.

GAME NOTES
» Stanford pitchers faced 44 Texas A&M hitters in the game, allowing five ground balls and 13 fly balls while striking out eight.
» The Cardinal is now 1-6 in 1-0 games over its last seven regional appearances.
» The Cardinal drew nine walks from Texas A&M pitching.
» Carter Graham (0-for-4) had a 22-game hit streak snapped.