On Monday night, #8 Stanford baseball defeated #22 Texas Tech 6-4. Stanford senior right-handed pitcher Max Meier (2-0) picked up the win on the mound in a relief role while junior left-handed pitcher Ryan Bruno (3) was awarded the save. Texas Tech junior right-handed pitcher Andrew Devine (1-3) was the losing pitcher for the Red Raiders. Stanford improves to 22-7 overall while Texas Tech falls to 22-11 overall.
BOX SCORE: Texas Tech at Stanford-Monday, April 10th
“Good win,” Stanford head coach David Esquer said after the game. “We didn’t do a lot offensively. Did enough. Hinkelman another big swing and then Carter Graham with a big swing. So, I think the story was Lopez, Meier, and Bruno there at the end of the game. Especially when we had to have it where we are going into a two-game series midweek. You’re a little thin and so having them come up and step up big for us was huge.”
Stanford freshman righty Nick Dugan got the start on the mound of the Cardinal and got off to a strong start in the top of the 1st inning, getting three straight batters out. Texas Tech freshman righty Jacob Rogers returned the favor in the bottom of the 1st by getting three straight Cardinal batters out as well. This kept it a 0-0 game at the end of the 1st inning.
In the top of the 2nd inning, Dugan came unglued as he gave up four runs. Gavin Kash singled to right center to get things going for the Red Raiders after which Austin Green struck out swinging. Zac Vooletich then got walked, advancing Kash to second base. Hudson White then singled through the left side, bringing home Kash and advancing Vooletich to second base. Tracer Lopez then struck out looking for the second out. It looked like the Red Raiders might only score one run. But it wasn’t to be.
Will Burns singled through the left side to advance White to second base and bring home Vooletich after which Nolen Hester got hit by a pitch. Gage Harrelson then doubled down the left field line bringing home both Burns and White. Kevin Bazzell then struck out swinging to end the top of the 2nd. 4-0 lead for the Red Raiders.
In the bottom of the 2nd, Stanford responded with three runs thanks to Cole Hinkelman hitting a three-run blast to left center to bring home Alberto Rios and Malcolm Moore with two outs. Moore was hit by pitch and advanced to second base via wild pitch while Rios was walked. This was Hinkelman’s second career home run after hitting his first career home run to beat Cal on Saturday night. He’s on quite a roll. It was now a 4-3 game at the end of the 2nd inning as Owen Cobb grounded out to first base to end the bottom of the inning.
“Well we always talk about that DH spot you’re looking for lightning in a bottle,” Esquer said of Hinkelman. “Sometimes you just gotta ride it the best you can. So, it’s a little lightning in the bottle right there and we just gotta keep riding it.
“And as well liked as he is. It really brings some energy to the clubhouse. It really does. Everyone is pulling for him. They’re on the rail in that batter’s box with him and to see him kinda come through really juices the whole dugout.”
“I was just trying to hunt anything I could drive,” Hinkelman said of his home run. “We had two outs, runners in scoring position, so really just on all pitches I could hit well and got a good one to hit.”
In the top of the 3rd inning, Vooletich singled to right field with two outs and was advanced to third base after White singled through the right side. However, Lopez struck out swinging to end the top of the inning.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Stanford also got close to scoring, but no cigar. With two outs, Tommy Troy singled through the left side after which Braden Montgomery was walked. Malcolm Moore then reached on an error by second base as Montgomery and Troy both advanced, loading up the bases. But then, Drew Bowser grounded out to short stop to end the bottom of the inning. Still a 4-3 game.
In the top of the 4th inning, Nicolas Lopez came in to pitch for Dugan. Aside from walking Hester, Lopez got the other three batters out, keeping it a 4-3 game entering the bottom of the 4th.
In the bottom of the 4th, Hinkelman was walked with one out after which Cobb doubled to left field to advance Hinkelman to third base. Eddie Park then flied out to left field to bring home Hinkelman. This tied the game up 4-4. Cobb then got caught stealing third base, ending the inning.
In the top of the 5th inning, Green got hit by a pitch with one out after which Vooletich was walked. This ended Lopez’ day on the mound as Max Meier came in to pitch. From there, Meier was able to keep the Raiders’ batters at bay. Keeping it a 4-4 game.
In the bottom of the 5th, Carter Graham hit a go-ahead solo blast to left center for the Cardinal off Devine. This made it a 5-4 lead for the Cardinal. Stanford would not score any more runs the rest of the inning as Ethan Coombes came in to pitch following Graham’s homer.
“Well, the home run is a part of our offense,” Esquer said. “And so we got a couple guys on base and then we could pop one. I think they’re similar, too. They like the home run as well and it’s just part of our offense. If we’re doing that we’re gonna have so low hits but high run days.”
In the top of the 6th, Texas Tech was able to get one batter on base as Harrelson hit a single to short stop with two outs. Meier’s magic on the mound continued.
In the bottom of the 6th, Rios doubled down the left field line after which Hinkelman was walked. Cobb then grounded out to third base, advancing both runners. This ended Coombes’ day on the mound as Derek Bridges came in for relief. Park then reached on a fielder’s choice as Hinkelman was out at third base while Rios scored. Graham then grounded out to short stop to end the bottom of the inning. 6-4 lead for the Cardinal.
From there, Stanford would hang on to win 6-4. No more runs were scored the rest of the way by either team. Meier would pitch the 7th inning for the Cardinal while Ryan Bruno pitched the final two innings, getting the save. Bruno gave up just one hit while also getting five strikeouts, really having a superb night on the mound. He did throw a couple of wild pitches in the 9th inning to advance Gash to second and then third base, but he didn’t let that rattle him.
“It’s big for us, it’s a big experience for us,” Esquer said of betting a quality Texas Tech team. “I’m hoping we come out the other side a little bit closer to who we are and I think today winning a tough ball game. Hey, some different heroes stepping up. That’s something we pride ourselves in. We don’t rely on the same people. We need a different hero every night. I think we’re personifying that right now because as guys start to cool off and then warm back up, different guys are stepping up to help us win.”
For Bruno, getting this save really does feel good for him. To pitch two quality innings like he did at the end of the game is a testament to the work he’s put in and staying locked in even when things weren’t going as well as he wanted to earlier in the season.
“I think in terms of personal, I think it feels great,” Bruno said of getting the save. “Just because for me it’s been a pretty rocky road so far in terms of finding out where I need to be mentally. And I think I made a lot of adjustments that I’m really proud of. Obviously with the help of my teammates and everything I learn from them. I think being better on the mental side of things has really allowed me to have success now and so I’m just really happy to keep things rolling and keep winning against good teams like this.”
The biggest thing for Bruno has just been confidence. So long as he stays confident, he believes good things will happen. This approach is what allowed him to have the kind of performance he did in this game.
“As I mentioned, previously, it’s all about for me, it’s all about attacking in confidence," Bruno said. "I think when I have really good confidence, the strikes come more, the command is better, and I can just really let my stuff shine. Obviously there’s some things that everyone has to work on and I think for me it’s more mental than it might be for other guys and obviously piggybacking off of the success of other guys and really taking myself out of the game and watching. I can learn so many things that could benefit my game. So, really happy to just have the experience to learn from my teammates and other teammates."
On top of confidence, David Esquer and pitching coach Thomas Eager have also worked on some technical aspects of Bruno’s game as well. The combination of that and the mental side appears to be paying real dividends here for Bruno and the rest of the bullpen as a result.
“They’ve made some mechanical changes that have allowed me to get in the zone with some more,” Bruno said. “But as I said, I really think just letting my body work and not making pitch-to-pitch adjustments that I wasn’t making earlier in the season. So I’m really happy to just make those adjustments and let my stuff shine more than it has.”
For Stanford, this is a really solid win. Texas Tech is a ranked team and these midweek games have been an adventure since it has forced them to dig deep into their bullpen. To hold the Red Raiders to just four runs is really a testament to how their bullpen is coming along, something they’re going to need if they are to have success in the NCAA tournament.
“We’re going to continue to need to grow,” Esquer said of his bullpen. “But we have grown some. And some guys are inching their way. Dugan, we’re still gonna keep throwing him out there. He’s gotta get better but having him out there and just experience against Texas Tech is big. But Lopez, Meier, and Bruno. If we can get some help and just a little help on the weekends from them, that would be big for us.”
“Yeah, that’s a powerful team,” Bruno said of Texas Tech. “We played them in the past. And our coach always says if you want to go to Omaha and you wanna win a national championship, that’s the team you have to beat. So I think you know, us really taking down that team and attacking from all forces. Obviously a great hitting team, so I think our pitchers did a great job keeping them in check and as I said, that’s the team we’re going to need to beat. So, if we can show that now. This, in the middle of the season, I’m really excited to see where we’ll be at the end.”
While the bullpen was obviously big for Stanford in this one, the other major story is the emergence of Hinkelman as an offensive weapon. To go from never hitting a home run to hitting a home run in back-to-back games is pretty incredible. The senior hasn’t had the easiest of journeys at Stanford, but he’s stayed patient and is finally getting his time to shine.
“Big breakfast, that’s what it is,” Hinkelman joked about what’s gotten into him. “No, I’m just doing what I can to help the team win and happened to come up in a big way both times. So, a lot of fun.
“Yeah, I mean that [home run at Cal] was definitely like the highest of highs, but just doing what I can to stay level day to day. Stay in the moment. And like I said earlier, keep getting wins. So that keeps me locked in…All the guys here are great. And we’re all best friends off the field. So, we got a great support and we’re all pulling for each other.”
“Yeah, I’ll tell you, if there’s anyone in the world you wanna root for, it’s that kid,” Bruno said of Hinkelman. “I mean, nicest kid. You know, obviously very talented and hasn’t been the easiest road for him his four years here, but everyone knows he’s got the talent and he’s certainly someone that you want to root for because of how good of a teammate he is and obviously to see his talent really shine now it’s what we all expected and we couldn’t be happier for him.”
As for Texas Tech, losing is never the plan. But, they had a chance and given the shaky state of the Cardinal bullpen, they should have a chance on Tuesday to get the series split.
On that note, Tuesday’s game will be at 2:05 PM PT on Pac-12 Insider and KZSU radio.
“You know, they’re gonna come at us tough and again, just our pitching depth,” Esquer said of the key to Tuesday. “We’re gonna dig pretty deep into our pitching staff and they’re gonna have to come up big for us.”
“Just giving a hundred percent of whatever we’ve got,” Hinkelman added. “We’re definitely. Yeah, I mean, just gotta take it one pitch at a time. Not get too ahead of ourselves. I think that’s it.”
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