Lights-out pitching and a big third inning propelled Stanford baseball (18-9, 6-3 Pac-12) to a 10-0 win over San Jose State (10-22) Tuesday night. The Cardinal pitching staff allowed a combined three hits while tallying nine strike outs, effectively neutralizing the Spartan threat and taking the pressure off of Stanford’s hot bats. Every player in the Cardinal lineup recorded a hit and a run, and junior Tommy Edman led the night in hits, going 3-for-5 with 1 run and 1 RBI.
Junior Chris Viall was tremendous in his first start of the season for the Cardinal, throwing 3.0 hitless innings and striking out five of the 10 batters he faced. In the second inning, he struck out the side.
The teams were scoreless through the top of the third, but Stanford took advantage of a San Jose pitching change in the bottom of the frame, rocking Spartan pitcher Eric Anderson for seven runs on six hits and an error. Sophomore Matt Winaker opened up scoring with a 2 RBI triple down the right field line.
“It’s a ripple effect,” Winaker said. “One guy hits, the next guy hits, then everybody starts hitting.”
Stanford added to its run total in the fifth, tacking on another three runs on three hits and three walks. For their part, the Cardinal bullpen took care of business, holding the Spartans scoreless through 6.0 innings.
“The thing we’re doing well and why we’ve been able to win a lot of games is we play good defense,” said head coach Mark Marquess. “And our pitching has been really good. We haven’t walked a lot of people. Our defense has really been the key for us, and throwing the ball over the plate.”
Up next, the Cardinal will return to conference play, traveling to take on Arizona (20-13, 5-7) next weekend. The Wildcats have been inconsistent, but their offense continues to put up strong numbers.
“It’s always tough to play them down there,” Marquess said. “They’re a very good offensive team. It’s really conducive to hitting [in Arizona], and they always hit the ball well. They have some speed; they have a couple of really good pitchers.”
Stanford will hope to continue its recent offensive explosion. Three of the team’s last four losses were by a single run, and the fourth was in extra innings. Combined with their shutdown pitching, the Cardinal have set themselves up for more wins as they push to enter the NCAA rankings.
Stanford will take on the Wildcats beginning on Friday, April 15, with first pitch at 6 p.m. The game will be live streamed on Pac-12.com.
Contact Olivia Hummer at ohummer ‘at’ stanford.edu.