Stanford Club Baseball took two of three from Saint Mary's this past weekend, dropping Game 1 on Saturday 2-0 but winning both games in their Sunday doubleheader, 2-1 and 10-1.
Game 1 starter Elijah Meltzer threw a gem, allowing only 2 earned runs and 6 hits while striking out 5 during his complete game effort. Meltzer featured a hard four seam fastball and deceptive curveball that had Saint Mary's off balance for most of the game, with the only runs he allowed coming on a two-run home run in the third inning. Meltzer got zero help from his offense, however, as the Cardinal only collected 6 hits of their own and stranded 7 runners. Casey Oden was a bright spot in the Stanford lineup that was lacking thump on Saturday, as he collected two hits.
Game 2 was largely a similar story to Game 1, as Stanford had stellar pitching and lackluster offense. Gabe Seir, the team ace, had a fantastic outing, striking out 11 and only allowing 3 hits and 1 earned run through 6.2 innings of work. His slider and curve-ball fooled Saint Mary's all day, generating 19 swings and misses. Seir provided for himself the only run support he would get, as his RBI single in the 3rd was the one run Stanford would score through 7 innings. Donnie Raymond entered to pitch for the Cardinal with a runner on second and two outs in the top of the 7th and succeeded in stranding that go-ahead run and pitching a clean 8th inning, after the game went to extras. Angel Villeraldo Amador was ultimately the hero of the game, as his clutch two out single scored Cameron Vaughan from second.
The bats finally came alive in Game 3. The Cardinal scored 10 runs and tallied 11 hits, including 4 extra base hits en route to a blowout victory. Evan Schieber and Donnie Raymond both had 3 hits a piece, with Raymond hitting back to back solo home runs in the 2nd with Caden Denning. Denning had 4 RBIs on the day, with two hits and a sacrifice fly. Raymond returned to the mound to start the second leg of the doubleheader, throwing 3 innings and striking out 5 while allowing no runs and only 2 hits. The Cardinal bullpen pieced together the rest of the game. Nikhil Kothari threw 2 scoreless innings with a strikeout, Daisuke Masuda struck out two and allowed one unearned run in his inning of work, and Angel Villeraldo Amador closed the game with a scoreless inning of his own.
Stanford pitching allowed only 3 earned runs over the 3 game series and struck out 26. This was an extremely promising sign for a pitching staff with lots of youth and uncertainty. The Cardinal will need good performances throughout the season from both its starters, Seir and Meltzer, and the bullpen, with arms like Raymond, Kothari, Grant Fisher, Masuda, and Villeraldo, to keep offenses at bay. The Schieber-Raymond-Denning core of the lineup also returned to form in Game 3, as the three accounted for 8 of the team's hits and 6 of its RBIs, another promising sign that Stanford's offense will return to form in future series. The lineup will also rely on the production of players like Masuda, Oden, John Paul Aguilar, and Villeraldo as the season progresses.
Stanford's next game is an out-of-league match-up against Sonoma State at 3pm on Saturday, March 16th at 3pm.
