Over the weekend, No. 6 Stanford baseball (6-1, 0-0 Pac-12) swept round-robin play at the Round Rock Classic in Texas, defeating Louisiana (3-2, 0-0 Sun Belt), Indiana (1-5, 0-0 Big Ten) and No. 2 Arkansas (4-2, 0-0 SEC).
On Friday, the Cardinal went up against the Ragin’ Cajuns. After starting senior pitcher Alex Williams gave up an RBI single in the top of the first inning, the Stanford pitching staff effectively shut down Louisiana’s offense. Williams did not give up a run for the remaining four innings of his outing. Relief pitchers sophomore Joey Dixon, junior Cody Jensen and freshman closer Braden Montgomery closed the game for the Cardinal, only giving up two hits combined.
Offensively, junior catcher Kody Huff hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to give Stanford a 2-1 lead, an advantage that the Cardinal did not relinquish. Later, in the bottom of the third inning, sophomore second baseman Tommy Troy grounded into a double play, which scored junior shortstop Adam Crampton.
In the fourth inning, sophomore first baseman Graham Carter hit a sacrifice fly to center field, which scored Huff. To add insurance, junior designated hitter Brett Barrera hit a solo home run to extend the lead to 5-1 — the eventual final score.
The game against Arkansas, originally scheduled for Saturday, was delayed due to inclement weather, leading the Cardinal to play a doubleheader against Indiana and Arkansas on Sunday.
Versus Indiana, both the hitting and pitching staff put on a dominant performance for the Cardinal. Since Stanford led by over ten runs after the top of the seventh inning, the game was called, and Stanford walked away with a win.
In the end, the Cardinal scored 13 runs on 14 hits and shutout the Hoosiers. Barrera and Crampton led the Cardinal on offense, each recording three hits and combining for seven RBIs.
In the final game and marquee matchup of the tournament, Stanford squared off against Arkansas. The Stanford pitchers continued their dominant performance against the Hogs, allowing only three and no runs.
Barrera continued his hot streak at the plate, homering in the bottom of the second to put the Cardinal up 2-0. In the fifth inning, he singled to bring home junior outfielder Brock Jones, which extended the lead to 4-0. Stanford tacked on a run in the ninth to win 5-0.
This victory was an impressive performance by the Cardinal, as they completely dominated a good Razorback team in all facets of the game.
Next up, Stanford will continue its road trip in Texas, taking on UTSA (6-1, 0-0 Conference USA) in San Antonio on Monday. First pitch against the Roadrunners is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT.