In a win-or-go home game, the Stanford Cardinal bats came through for eight runs in an 8-3 victory against the Texas Longhorns Sunday evening.
Stanford's Quinn Mathews tossed a complete game, striking out 16 with every player in Texas' lineup striking out at least once.
The senior left-hander ran into some trouble in the bottom of the ninth inning with the five-run lead and elected to stay in the game after a mound visit from Stanford's pitching coach.
By elected, I mean staring down the coach and daring him to take him out.
Mathews tossed a total of 156 pitches in the win. He's currently sitting at the number two spot for highest amount of strikeouts in college baseball.
No one in college baseball has thrown more innings than the Aliso Viejo native.
Stanford and Texas were both tied at two-a-piece after four innings.
Catcher Malcolm Moore started the three-run onslaught to take the lead in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI double, sending home Braden Montgomery to lead 3-2.
Drew Bowser hit his second home run in as many days with Moore aboard the bases on a hanging slider, making it a 5-2 Cardinal lead.
Eddie Park became the second man of the hour in case Stanford needed any more insurance runs entering the top of the ninth inning. The Cardinal gave up a three-run lead in the top of the ninth on Saturday, losing to Texas 7-5.
Park sent a base hit into left-center to plate two runs and caused confusion with a stop-and-go steal attempt to second base during Tommy Troy's at bat, allowing Timo Becera to score from third for the eighth and final run of the game.
The Cardinal host the Longhorns Monday on ESPN at 5 p.m. for winner-take-all of the Super Regional series.
