On Monday, Stanford baseball defeated San Jose State 9-5 at Sunken Diamond. Stanford freshman righty Ben Reimers (1-1) was the winning pitcher for the Cardinal in a relief role while San Jose State junior righty Caden Duke (0-1) was the losing pitcher for the Spartans in a starting role. Stanford graduate student infielder Owen Cobb hit two solo home runs for the Cardinal as the top offensive player of the game. Stanford improves to 3-5 overall while San Jose State falls to 2-5.
BOX SCORE: San Jose State at Stanford-Monday, February 26th
“Well hey, we played a really good team,” Stanford head coach David Esquer said after the game. “And that team’s probably going to be a regional team. So we didn’t beat any, we played a really good game against a really good team that’s, they’re just gonna keep getting better as the weather warms up. So, a great win by our guys and we’ve been a little different the last two games. That’s not the same team that opened the year for us. Just mentality-wise, spirit, energy-wise, that was a great game by us.”
Stanford sophomore righty Trevor Moore got the start on the mound for the Cardinal. The first batter he faced was Robert Hamchuk, who singled to left center before getting picked off at first base during Theo Hardy’s at-bat. Hardy would hit a triple down the right field line.
Up next to the plate would be Hunter Dorraugh, who would reach first base and advance to second while Hardy scored courtesy of a throwing error from third base. It would thus be scored as an unearned run for Moore. Moore would then get the next two batters out via strike out and ground out. It would be a 1-0 lead for San Jose State entering the bottom of the 1st inning.
In the bottom of the 1st inning, Stanford had a strong response. Cort MacDonald would lead off and get walked to get the party started. Jimmy Nati then got walked after which Malcolm Moore got hit by a pitch to load up the bases. Trevor Haskins then lined out for the first out before Luke Lavin got walked to bring home MacDonald. It was now tied 1-1. Temo Becerra then flied out to right field to bring home Jimmy Nati, giving the Cardinal a 2-1 lead.
Up next to the plate would be Brady Reynolds, who doubled down the right field line to bring home Moore and advance Lavin to third base. Stanford now led 3-1. Charlie Saum then struck out looking as he was out at first base as the pitch wasn’t secured by the catcher. This ended the inning.
“Yeah, he’s doing great, man,” Esquer said of Reynolds. “It’s just a boost. The energy of the two young freshmen Lavin and him are both giving us a boost of energy, right? They’re young, but they play with some energy.”
In the top of the 2nd inning, nobody scored for San Jose State as the only batter to get on base was Kimo Fukofuka, who was walked with two outs. In the bottom of the 2nd inning, nobody scored for Stanford as the only batter to get on base was Nati, who doubled to right center with two outs.
In the top of the 3rd inning, nobody got on base for San Jose State as all three batters to come up to the plate failed to get on base. One struck out while the other two flied out/popped out. It remained a 3-1 lead for Stanford entering the bottom of the 3rd inning.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Stanford found a way to add one run. With two outs, Becerra singled to right field before stealing second base with Reynolds at the plate. Reynolds then doubled to right center to bring home Becerra. Saum then flied out to right field. It was now a 4-1 lead for Stanford at the end of the 3rd inning.
In the top of the 4th inning, Trevor Moore continued to pitch well for the Cardinal as he got three straight batters out. Two via foul out and one via line out. Stanford had a chance to expand their lead in the bottom of the 4th.
“Just better, he’s just better at everything,” Esquer said of Moore. “Location was better, execution was better, staying in the inning, finishing innings, he was just better and just using the defense a little bit more.”
In the bottom of the 4th, Stanford would do just that as they added one more run. San Jose State made a pitching change as Duke was replaced by righty Tyler Albanese on the mound at the beginning of the inning. With one out, MacDonald singled to center field before Nati doubled to left center to bring home MacDonald. Stanford would not add any more runs the rest of the inning as it was now a 5-1 lead for the Cardinal.
In the top of the 5th, San Jose State’s offense finally came to life a bit as they scored two runs. Matt Spear got things going with a single to right field before Fukofuka struck out looking after which Jeriah Lewis fouled out to third base. Hamchuk then reached first base thanks to an error from short stop as Spear advanced to second base. Hardy then tripled to right field to bring home Spear and Hamchuk. At this point, Moore’s day on the mound was done for the Cardinal as freshman righty Ryan Speshyock came in for relief. Speshyock would hit the first batter he faced before striking the next one out swinging to end the top of the inning. Stanford’s lead had now been cut in half as they led 5-3.
In the bottom of the 5th, Stanford added one run as Owen Cobb hit a solo homer down the left field line with two outs. MacDonald then flied out to center field to end the bottom of the inning. Stanford now led 6-3.
“No, hitting home runs never gets old no matter how old you get,” Cobb said with a smile. “Yeah, I mean, it’s one of those things that you can’t try to do or try to force. It’s one of those things you gotta trust your preparation and be on time and try to put the barrel on it. Got some good results today.”
“Oh it’s awesome,” Malcolm Moore said of other guys hitting home runs besides him. “I mean, we didn’t even expect to be hitting home runs. I mean, our team, we’ve been focusing on the little things. Doing the little things right. When you do the little things right the game rewards you and we’ve had some guys pull through and hitting home runs that we didn’t even expect to be doing that. And so, it really shows that when you do the little things well like bunting or getting a guy over from first, those home runs will come and the offense will come as well.”
In the top of the 6th inning, San Jose State would not score any runs, though a pitching change did occur for Stanford. With the bases loaded and two outs, Ryan Speshyock was replaced on the mound with righty Ben Reimers, who then got the next batter out via strike out swinging. The bases got loaded courtesy of Speshyock hitting three batters. So, a change really needed to happen.
“They just gotta keep getting out there,” Esquer said of Speshyock. “Spesh had some problems, hitting some guys today, but he got a couple big outs for us and he’s gonna keep going out there, right? So it’s gonna be trial by fire. Just as long as he stays positive and just keeps getting comfortable, he’ll get better.”
“Our pitching staff is disgusting,” Malcolm Moore said of what he’s noticed from his position as a catcher. “We have guys and they’re waiting. They’re just trying to get their confidence out there. They’re young, so it’s gonna take time, but I think we’ve shown that we’re taking steps forward and I mean, they’re definitely growing and they’ll be there by the time it comes.
“I feel like it’s been a real learning experience because last year we had a bunch of old guys on our staff who had pitched in college baseball. Kinda being the helping hand to these young pitchers and helping them find their feet and going out there and talking to them and letting them know that I have the most trust in them and that we’re working together. It’s not just him out on an island out there. It’s really me and him together.”
In the bottom of the 6th, Stanford would not score any runs, though a pitching change also occurred for San Jose State. Just like Stanford’s pitching change in the top of the inning, with the bases loaded and two outs, Tyler Albanese was replaced on the mound with lefty Corey Sanchez. Sanchez would strike out Reynolds swinging to end the bottom of the inning. It remained a 6-3 lead for Stanford entering the 7th inning.
In the top of the 7th inning, San Jose State added one run as Dalton Bowling hit a solo blast to left center with two outs. San Jose State would not add any more runs the rest of the inning. Stanford would lead 6-4 entering the bottom of the 7th.
In the bottom of the 7th, Stanford responded perfectly with two runs. With one out, Cobb hit his second home run of the game. It was another solo shot that carried over the left field fence. MacDonald then got walked. With two outs, MacDonald stole second base before Malcolm Moore singled to center field to bring him home. Haskins then singled through the left side to advance Moore to second base.
“Yeah, I mean, I think it’s just taking control of your at-bats and not taking pitches off,” Cobb said of his improved power hitting. “And just focusing on being on time and getting the barrel to the ball…I think when you’re part of a Stanford lineup, one to nine you gotta be a weapon. I hit ninth last year and you know, I kinda found my identity turning that lineup over. So wherever you are in that lineup just being a weapon and knowing that when you put on the Stanford jersey that you’re a threat no matter where you are.”
“Oh man, he’s doing great,” Esquer said of Cobb. “And he’s lined out about four or five times, right? So he’s hit line drives right at infielders at least three or four times and so, he’s doing great. Flipped him around a little bit. He’s really good at turning that lineup over at the bottom of the lineup. Nothing that he was doing wrong and nothing that we’re counting on him less. Maybe it’s his comfort zone.”
At this point, Sanchez would be done pitching for San Jose State as righty Gary Hall came in for relief. Hall would strike out the first batter he faced (Champ Hampton) to end the bottom of the 7th. Stanford now led 8-4 entering the 8th inning.
In the top of the 8th inning, Reimers would keep the Spartans scoreless. One runner got in scoring position with two outs, but the next batter struck out swinging. In the bottom of the 8th, Stanford added a run as Saum singled to right center to bring home Becerra with one out. Cobb flied out to right center for the second out after which Saum was out at second base as he was caught stealing. Stanford took a 9-4 lead entering the 9th inning.
In the 9th inning, righty Kassius Thomas came in to pitch for Stanford in a non-save situation. Hardy would be the first batter Thomas faced, getting out at first base. Dorraugh then singled up the middle, appearing to give the Spartans a spark of life. However, Bowling then grounded into a double play to end the game. 9-4 Stanford won.
“94 miles an hour with a lot of movement and a lot of sink,” Esquer said of Thomas. “He’s gonna be valuable for us at the back end of the game. He and O’Harran have done a good job for us so far. They just need to keep doing it.”
San Jose State is a solid team who made an NCAA regional last year. They’re likely going to be a tournament team again this year, so Stanford should feel good about beating them. On top of that, it’s Stanford’s second win in a row, so they appear to be gaining a bit of momentum. The offense came alive in this one, they got some power from places other than Malcolm Moore, and the entire pitching staff did their job. A lot for Stanford to be happy about this one.
“You know what, just improvement,” Esquer said of what he’s seen from his team the last two games. “Guys getting better, you know. Everyone who went out there today was better than their first two outings and that’s what we’re banking this whole year on is just getting better and doesn’t mean that we’re not gonna have any bad outings where we take a few punches and couple bumps and bruises. But we just gotta keep getting up and getting better each time out. So, that was a big part of it.
“Guys are just kinda getting more acclimated, comfortable in the game. It’s different when the lights turn on and it’s not practice and you’re not playing against your friends anymore, you’re playing against somebody else. And again, that’s an old team. Like, so we beat a really old, experienced team like yesterday when we finally got one against Penn State. That’s an old team. Much older and experienced than us and we’re gonna have to learn how to beat those teams.”
“Going into this year, we had new faces, lot of talent, and a lot of cohesion and it just took a little bit to find our identity,” Cobb added. “We’re coming together and starting to see how these pieces kind of fit together in a winning way in a winning culture. So, we’re gonna continue to grow into it and improve and by the end of the year look out.”
Up next for Stanford is a road series at Rice. Game one will begin on Friday at 4:30 PM PT. All three games will air on ESPN+.
“Yeah, I mean I think it’s embracing just our team culture and finding our identity as our team this year, the 2024 team,” Cobb said of building on these last two wins. “Just embracing who we are and it’s great to get a couple wins this weekend and hit the road and that’s another opportunity for us to get closer and get more comfortable on the field together. There’s no secret to it. I think we just gotta go out there and be ourselves.”
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