On Tuesday at 6:00 PM PT on Pac-12 Networks and KZSU radio 90.1 FM, #3/2 Stanford baseball will take on Cal at Sunken Diamond. This will count as a non-league game. Stanford comes in at 2-1 overall while Cal also comes in at 2-1.
Last time out: On Sunday, Stanford defeated Cal State Fullerton 21-13 in 10 innings to win their opening series on the road. Braden Montgomery picked up the win on the mound for the Cardinal while also hitting two-for-five for 3 RBIs while also scoring two runs. Stanford has risen to #2 in the nation in the D1Baseball.com Top 25.
RECAP: #3 Stanford BSB bats go wild to win series at Fullerton
Probable starters: Stanford freshman right-handed pitcher Toran O’Harran (0-0, 27.00 ERA, K) vs. Cal graduate student right-handed pitcher Joe Williams (0-0, 0.00 ERA). O’Harran had a rough outing over the weekend for the Cardinal but will get a chance to get back on track tonight.
On Cal: Just like Stanford, Cal won their opening series 2-1 on the road. They were at Houston, defeating the Cougars in the first two contests before falling in the third. The Golden Bears are picked to finish 8th in the Pac-12 as they are barely behind Washington and Arizona State for 7th and 6th, so a top half finish in the league is certainly possible.
The top contact hitter for the Bears is sophomore outfielder Rodney Green, Jr. who is hitting .500 for 1 home run, 4 RBIs, a .857 slugging percentage, and a .533 on base percentage. Green is also the top power hitter as well with one home run so far on the season. The other guy with one home run is sophomore catcher Caleb Lomavita, who is hitting .429 for 2 RBIs to go along with a .643 slugging percentage and a .500 on base percentage.
As far as the Bears’ pitching staff is concerned, they have a 3.46 ERA so far while giving up just one home run. So their pitching has been very good and will need to be good if they are to win this game.
Keys to the game: For Stanford, the first thing they need is solid pitching from O’Harran. They’ve shown that they can win in spite of the pitching being bad, but they cannot keep living this way. With the way Cal has been pitching, Stanford has to get some quality innings from their pitching staff as well. If the pitching struggles, very good odds Cal steals this one.
The second thing Stanford needs to do is just make sure they find ways to get on base. If they keep doing that, they’re bound to have at least one really strong inning offensively. Their bats have been amazing this year and they have so many weapons. It’s just a matter of staying consistent, knowing the bats will explode at some point.
Finally, Stanford needs to contain Green. He’s the top player for the Bears and will look to have a big game. If they can slow him down and not allow him to get going, that’s really going to hinder the Bears’ offensive attack.
Prediction: Individual baseball games are always tough to predict. They could go any direction and Cal is a solid team. I’m going to pick the Cardinal to win by a final score of 10-8. I think their bats will come alive, but their pitching will also give them a bit of a headache as well. Should be a fun one to open up the home stretch at Sunken Diamond.
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