No. 12 Baseball tops Stanford, 3-1

Saturday, March 7

Palo Alto, Calif.

4 p.m.

University of Texas

9-6

Stanford

9-7

Texas

Stanford

03.07.2015 | Baseball

Box Score

French tosses seven innings of one-run ball

STANFORD, Calif. -- Parker French tossed seven innings of one-run ball, Tres Barrera and Collin Shaw provided early run support with key hits and the No. 12 Baseball team defeated Stanford 3-1 Saturday afternoon.

French, who was moved back in the rotation after pitching last Sunday in the weather-altered San Diego series, turned in a gem. The senior held Stanford (9-7) to just two hits in his first five innings, and then worked his way out of jams in the sixth and seventh.

C.J Hinojosa helped Texas (9-6) take an early lead by doubling down the left field line with two outs in the first inning, and Barrera drove him in by following with a single. An inning later, the Longhorns again capitalized with two outs when Shaw sent a double down the left field line to score Michael Cantu and Ben Johnson.

French responded by putting up five straight scoreless innings to start the game, with the Texas defense playing a key role. Of the 21 outs he recorded, 12 were on groundouts as third baseman Bret Boswell turned in a season-high five assists and second baseman Brooks Marlow had a career-high tying seven.

Taylor Stell had a highlight-reel diving catch in center field to rob a base hit, while Cantu made an incredible throw from the first base line wall all the way across the diamond to third, gunning down a runner after a failed pickoff attempt by French.

In the bottom of the ninth, with reliever Kirby Bellow on to close it out and runners on first and second, Marlow and Hinojosa turned a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Barrera led the offense with a 2-for-3 day at the plate, bumping his average up to .340 on the season which is second on the team behind Johnson (.400). French (2-1) picked up the win while Bellow got his first career save with two scoreless innings of work. Stanford starting pitcher Brett Hanewich (1-1) took the loss.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Longhorns (9-6) and an eight-game skid at Stanford.

The fourth and final game of the series is set for Sunday at 3 p.m. Central. Texas will send LHP Josh Sawyer (1-1, 3.38) to the mound. Stanford has yet to announce a starter.

QUOTES FROM COACH AUGIE GARRIDO

"It took everybody to win today's game. Parker French led the way with his experience and his ability to throw the ball in the strike zone, and he used all his fielders. There were some great defensive plays and that's what this team is capable day after day. That's the way we have to play – we have to play great defense, and we did. We came out and scored all three runs with two outs and never gave up on an inning. We tried to extend the inning, which is what we've been working on.

"We're moving in the right direction with this thing. It's just going to be a battle. There's no easy way to develop a championship mentality. It's all about how you respond to the adversity you face that makes you mentally tougher."