Stanford's Opening Weekend a Blend of Success, Heartbreak

It’s been a hectic opening weekend of college baseball, where we saw Stanford begin their 2026 campaign in Surprise, AZ. There was a mixture of terrific and subpar performances, but the Cardinal are currently 2-2 after a tough opening weekend, which is a nice spot to be in. Let’s go over a recap of Stanford’s opening weekend.

It all began back on Friday night, when Stanford took on No. 24 Arizona. While the Wildcats took an early lead in the first inning, quick responses tied things up 2-2 by the end of the third. In an eventful fourth, both teams put up three runs each, turning it into a complete offensive battle.

It was all tied up at five going into the sixth, but that’s when the Cardinal blew the game open. Stanford scored five runs to take over lead, and Arizona’s two weren’t enough to keep up. After a two complete shutdown innings led by freshman Mike Erspamer, the Cardinal sealed the deal to improve to 1-0.

The stars of the game were sophomores Rintaro Sasaki and Charlie Bates. Sasaki homered in the Cardinal’s third inning rally, and Bates hit a key triple in the fourth to score two. Then Ersamer’s dominance on the mound led them to victory.

Despite a great Friday night performance, game two didn’t go the same way. Stanford took on Michigan on Saturday, and the Wolverines’ 4-0 start helped them take control early. Over the course of the next few innings, Stanford somewhat stayed in the ball game, trailing 5-2 going into the ninth, which is when chaos unfolded.

Michigan scored two runs to lead by five headed into the bottom of the ninth, but Stanford wouldn’t go down without a fight. Four hits, a hit by pitch, and one batter reaching on an error helped the Cardinal nearly come all the way back, getting it to 7-6.

However, on a Charlie Bates single to left field, Tatum Marsh was thrown out at home, and though the play was challenged, the call was upheld. The final out came on a strikeout by Jimmy Nati with the tying run on second.

It was all Brady Reynolds and Ethan Hott, who combined for five hits on the night, while Hott’s three RBI helped the Cardinal keep this one close.

It’s not often teams get back-to-back heartbreaks, but unfortunately, that was exactly what happened on Sunday against No. 12 Oregon State.

After two subpar outings from their starters, it was expected that it could be another high scoring game, but it was actually the complete opposite. The Beavers put up two runs early, but the Cardinal scored a pair in the top of the fourth. The score would remain tied through the first eight innings, setting up a pivotal ninth.

Unfortunately for Stanford, they were blanked in the top half, while Oregon State’s Josh Proctor walked it off to win, 3-2.

JJ Moran was the clear dominant player for Stanford with three of the team's six hits. In addition, Parker Warner was crucial as a starter in the game, last 4 IP, giving up just two hits, 2 runs (0 earned), walking on and striking out five. Toran O'Harran also notched 2 2/3 scoreless frames, allowing zero hits, walking one and striking out two.

To end the four-game stretch, Stanford played Nebraska with the hope of getting back to .500. Led by a dominant six-run first inning, they were able to do so. The Cardinal were in complete control of the game, even leading 9-0 at one point. They ultimately earned the 11-6 victory, putting them at 2-2 on the year, headed back home for a four-game series against Cal State Fullerton.

After winning all four on the road against the Titans last year, the Cardinal will look to match that feat, and potentially build their resumé early on in the season.

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