Stanford baseball goes 2-2 in series against Cal State Fullerton

Stanford baseball (4-4, 0-0 ACC) went 2-2 to tie their four-game series against Cal State Fullerton (3-5, 0-0 BWC) this weekend, opening their home season.

Their weekend started with a close game, ultimately losing 4-2 after Cal State Fullerton got an early 3-0 lead by the fourth inning. It looked as though the game could turn around with sophomore third baseman JJ Moran’s homer to right center in the bottom of the fifth, but after a run from Fullerton in the top of the seventh, the Cardinal was only able to counter with an RBI from freshman left fielder Brock Sell.

Saturday saw a double header between the Cardinal and Titans, beginning with junior right-hand pitcher Aidan Keenan on the mound. Keenan saw one hit and zero runs in the first six innings of the game, keeping the Titans off the board and fostering momentum for the Cardinal.

“Keenan came out and started well,” said head coach David Esquer.

The Cardinal got on the board early in the bottom of the second inning, with a triple from junior right fielder Brady Reynolds, followed by junior catcher Luke Lavin’s hit to shortstop, bringing Reynolds in for an RBI.

Stanford saw a drought after the second inning, unable to score any runs until the bottom of the seventh.

“We were really struggling to generate some offense, you know, and that just has not come easy to us,” Esquer said.

In the bottom of the seventh, Moran was able to bring Reynolds in on a sacrifice fly to left field. Freshman designated hitter Brock Ketelson followed in Moran’s footsteps, bringing sophomore first baseman Rintaro Sasaki in from second base on a fielder’s choice hit to first base.

With a 3-0 lead from the Cardinal, Fullerton came back at full speed at the top of the eighth. The Titans put up three runs while Stanford put both freshman pitcher Mike Erspamer and senior pitcher Toran O’Harran on the mound, attempting to find a good groove.

O’Harran finished out the game, pitching two innings with no runs on two hits. The Cardinal regained their lead in the bottom of the ninth, with Lavin’s double down the left field line earning him a walk-off RBI. 

Winning 4-3, the Cardinal had the upper hand going into the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon.

Their momentum carried into the bottom of the second inning, when Sell hit a sacrifice fly to center field for an RBI. Sophomore shortstop Charlie Bates followed shortly after, hitting a single to right-center field, bringing in Moran.

“It felt good to get on the board and help us out,” said Bates.

The Titans put a run on the board in the third and fourth innings, tying the game 2-2 by the top of the fourth.

Senior second baseman Jimmy Nati brought in Bates in the bottom of the fifth, regaining the lead for the Cardinal. As things began to look up, Fullerton put two more runs on the board in the top of the seventh, and Stanford was unable to come back through the rest of the game.

The Cardinal fell to the Titans 4-3.

“We’re losing one-run ball games, it’s just tough sledding right now for us,” Esquer said.

Bates shared his concern, but the Cardinal remain optimistic looking forward.

“We’re still learning and have a long way to go, but I think we’re trending upwards in the right direction,” said Bates

“We’ve got to get back up after you get knocked down, and that’s gonna be one of the major things for our players individually and us as a team,” said Esquer. “We’re going to face some adversity, and the game is not coming easy to us right now.”

Stanford was able to get back up on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Titans 3-2. The box score saw an RBI from junior pinch hitter/second baseman Eric Jeon on a walk to bring in Bates, a run from freshman pinch hitter/left fielder Philip Cheong on a pass, and an RBI from Bates on a triple to right-center.

“I got to simplify my approach in that second game and get back to my roots as a hitter, which is just staying on the fastball,” said Bates. That approach evidently stuck with him through game four of the series, earning him offensive leader for the game.

“I think this team will grow and grow into winning. It’s an acquired skill to win baseball games, and we’ve got to continue to build on those things,” said Esquer.

The Cardinal return to Sunken Diamond on Wednesday for an exhibition game against Waseda University from Japan at 3:30 p.m.

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