Stanford defeated Cal 5-2 Saturday to win the rivalry series and take the ninth series of 10 this season. The Cardinal got 5.1 innings from Kris Bubic (6-0). Jack Little threw the final 2.2 after Zach Grech did a masterful job to limit Cal to one run when the bases were loaded with one out.
Stanford got help from the long ball in this series: Tim Tawa hit a home run in the second straight game and Andrew Daschbach sent one over the fence as well. Both were two-run shots. Cal's top four hitters are a formidable group and Jonah Davis had his second home run of the series, a solo shot off Little in the eighth.
David Esquer
What do you take from these three games?
"That's a tough ball club that we played. We're going to play some offenses like that down the road that are going to keep it close for nine innings. Those were hard fought wins and they're tough to stay on top of. I'm proud of our club, especially coming back after Thursday's game. We have been resilient throughout the year ... it shows me a lot. They don't feel sorry for themselves and they come and play the next day."
Grech and Little battled for big outs: "They really did. When Bubic faltered a little, Grech was there for him with the bases loaded. And then we were going to let him go until a baserunner got on and then give it to Little and ride him to the end. It was a big swing by Davis to hit the home run, a little bit of bend but no break from Little. That's great."
How do you feel your guys handled the challenge of the top of Cal's lineup?
"I think they did a great job. I really did. They hurt us on Thursday. They won the game on Thursday with Dodson, Vaughn and Jonah Davis. That's their calling card to win with that part of the lineup. I thought we came back and made some adjustments the next couple games and they didn't hurt us as much."
Daschbach and Tawa's home runs: "Those were big swings of the bat there and we needed every run that we had. I don't think playing with a one run lead against that lineup would have been very comfortable. Having a little distance allowed them to pitch a little more comfortably."
Andrew Daschbach
Winning a hotly contested rivalry series: "That was huge for us, especially being able to bounce back after losing that game on Thursday. A lot of guys in the locker room wanted to win it for us just as badly as they wanted to win it for Coach Esquer, so that was exciting to see. I know he loves all those guys in that other dugout, but it has to feel good for him and for Coach Eager to come away with a series win against some old friends."
Tawa had two home runs this season. Is he past the point of considering him a freshman?
"He has definitely moved beyond that. We always laugh about that light switch. When that light switch is on for him he has that limitless potential. He can work through some of the tougher times and you can see those shortening up for him. That's really exciting. Everyone goes through their slumps, especially for freshman that can be tough to put a lot of pressure on yourself. When he's able to turn that light switch on and when it goes off it's off for a short period of time."
You snapped out of a short rough period this weekend. What went right for you?
"All series I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well. It's just more of a mentality thing for me, so going up against a guy yesterday throwing pretty hard in Jared Horn kind of flipped on that mentality: 'It's time to go, let's buckle up.' I was able to put some good swings on the ball and that set the tone leading into today. I was struggling to get up for the soft throwing lefty -- really, really crafty but not the guy you're going to dig into the box and say, 'I'm going to try to jump on this guy.' It lulled me to sleep on Thursday."
Were you guessing slider on the home run?
"I was not guessing, just reacting. I had seen three or four earlier, so I was able to make some in-bat adjustments, which is a good sign for me. It doesn't happen very often. When I'm able to do it, it's exciting."
Thomas Eager
Winning the series: "I thought a Brendan threw a great game. That offense is probably the best offense we have faced all year. It got to us and beat us 4-3. Yesterday, the way we pitched -- Tristan did a great job pitching with a lead like that is difficult and keeping it where it was was awesome. Today I thought was a dog fight. You knew they were going to make another charge. We were trying to make pitches and make sure we always knew where Dodson, Vaughn and Ty Greene were and hope no one was on when Vaughn came up."
What makes Jack so difficult to pick up for hitters?
"I think it's that long, swinging arm action. When it gets low to the ground it kind of looks like he's pitching uphill. His spin rate, I'm assuming it has to be hard, right? Craig Kimbrel is the same kind of guy that when they throw it looks like it's going uphill. I think he has that same effect ... and not to mention his command of the fastball is probably one of the best I've ever had. I don't think I've ever coached a reliever that has command like he has with the fastball. It's not just one pitch, it's four because it's in, out, up, down. It's everything."
Grech battled out of a tough spot: "Grech was, oh man, Grech today probably the key. That inning could have gone either way. We had Little coming in if anything went crazy. We weren't going to lose the game in the sixth. That's what Coach Esquer had decided. If this is their push we're not going to lose the game. We'll go to Little if we have to. I give a lot to Maverick. Maverick came in and said, 'Grech is looking good. Let's stay with him.' I give a lot of trust to Maverick and trust Maverick when he's behind the dish telling me stuff. He wanted to stick with Grech. I said, 'Let's do it.' And we got out of that big jam. It was awesome."
Bubic had a solid night: "He just simplified it. He is the type of kid who can get hard on himself. We changed his bullpen routine this week, the first time we've done all year. I felt like changing routine would be best for him to try something new. We changed the format of his pitches so he wouldn't get methodical and think too much."
Where is Carson Rudd this week compared to the start of the season?
"Carson Rudd has done a great job for us. For me, mentality is everything and he is continuing to learn how to pitch with a mentality and have that alter ego on the mound. That's what we talk about. You can be anybody you want between the white lines. Little has it. Grech has it. Our three starters have it and Brendan has it. And Carson it's the one thing I challenge him ... and he's looking. Against UoP I thought he threw the ball great. I thought it was so-so last night and he recognized it. I didn't have to tell him. That's a learning experience for him."
Stanford got help from the long ball in this series: Tim Tawa hit a home run in the second straight game and Andrew Daschbach sent one over the fence as well. Both were two-run shots. Cal's top four hitters are a formidable group and Jonah Davis had his second home run of the series, a solo shot off Little in the eighth.
David Esquer
What do you take from these three games?
"That's a tough ball club that we played. We're going to play some offenses like that down the road that are going to keep it close for nine innings. Those were hard fought wins and they're tough to stay on top of. I'm proud of our club, especially coming back after Thursday's game. We have been resilient throughout the year ... it shows me a lot. They don't feel sorry for themselves and they come and play the next day."
Grech and Little battled for big outs: "They really did. When Bubic faltered a little, Grech was there for him with the bases loaded. And then we were going to let him go until a baserunner got on and then give it to Little and ride him to the end. It was a big swing by Davis to hit the home run, a little bit of bend but no break from Little. That's great."
How do you feel your guys handled the challenge of the top of Cal's lineup?
"I think they did a great job. I really did. They hurt us on Thursday. They won the game on Thursday with Dodson, Vaughn and Jonah Davis. That's their calling card to win with that part of the lineup. I thought we came back and made some adjustments the next couple games and they didn't hurt us as much."
Daschbach and Tawa's home runs: "Those were big swings of the bat there and we needed every run that we had. I don't think playing with a one run lead against that lineup would have been very comfortable. Having a little distance allowed them to pitch a little more comfortably."
Andrew Daschbach
Winning a hotly contested rivalry series: "That was huge for us, especially being able to bounce back after losing that game on Thursday. A lot of guys in the locker room wanted to win it for us just as badly as they wanted to win it for Coach Esquer, so that was exciting to see. I know he loves all those guys in that other dugout, but it has to feel good for him and for Coach Eager to come away with a series win against some old friends."
Tawa had two home runs this season. Is he past the point of considering him a freshman?
"He has definitely moved beyond that. We always laugh about that light switch. When that light switch is on for him he has that limitless potential. He can work through some of the tougher times and you can see those shortening up for him. That's really exciting. Everyone goes through their slumps, especially for freshman that can be tough to put a lot of pressure on yourself. When he's able to turn that light switch on and when it goes off it's off for a short period of time."
You snapped out of a short rough period this weekend. What went right for you?
"All series I felt like I was seeing the ball pretty well. It's just more of a mentality thing for me, so going up against a guy yesterday throwing pretty hard in Jared Horn kind of flipped on that mentality: 'It's time to go, let's buckle up.' I was able to put some good swings on the ball and that set the tone leading into today. I was struggling to get up for the soft throwing lefty -- really, really crafty but not the guy you're going to dig into the box and say, 'I'm going to try to jump on this guy.' It lulled me to sleep on Thursday."
Were you guessing slider on the home run?
"I was not guessing, just reacting. I had seen three or four earlier, so I was able to make some in-bat adjustments, which is a good sign for me. It doesn't happen very often. When I'm able to do it, it's exciting."
Thomas Eager
Winning the series: "I thought a Brendan threw a great game. That offense is probably the best offense we have faced all year. It got to us and beat us 4-3. Yesterday, the way we pitched -- Tristan did a great job pitching with a lead like that is difficult and keeping it where it was was awesome. Today I thought was a dog fight. You knew they were going to make another charge. We were trying to make pitches and make sure we always knew where Dodson, Vaughn and Ty Greene were and hope no one was on when Vaughn came up."
What makes Jack so difficult to pick up for hitters?
"I think it's that long, swinging arm action. When it gets low to the ground it kind of looks like he's pitching uphill. His spin rate, I'm assuming it has to be hard, right? Craig Kimbrel is the same kind of guy that when they throw it looks like it's going uphill. I think he has that same effect ... and not to mention his command of the fastball is probably one of the best I've ever had. I don't think I've ever coached a reliever that has command like he has with the fastball. It's not just one pitch, it's four because it's in, out, up, down. It's everything."
Grech battled out of a tough spot: "Grech was, oh man, Grech today probably the key. That inning could have gone either way. We had Little coming in if anything went crazy. We weren't going to lose the game in the sixth. That's what Coach Esquer had decided. If this is their push we're not going to lose the game. We'll go to Little if we have to. I give a lot to Maverick. Maverick came in and said, 'Grech is looking good. Let's stay with him.' I give a lot of trust to Maverick and trust Maverick when he's behind the dish telling me stuff. He wanted to stick with Grech. I said, 'Let's do it.' And we got out of that big jam. It was awesome."
Bubic had a solid night: "He just simplified it. He is the type of kid who can get hard on himself. We changed his bullpen routine this week, the first time we've done all year. I felt like changing routine would be best for him to try something new. We changed the format of his pitches so he wouldn't get methodical and think too much."
Where is Carson Rudd this week compared to the start of the season?
"Carson Rudd has done a great job for us. For me, mentality is everything and he is continuing to learn how to pitch with a mentality and have that alter ego on the mound. That's what we talk about. You can be anybody you want between the white lines. Little has it. Grech has it. Our three starters have it and Brendan has it. And Carson it's the one thing I challenge him ... and he's looking. Against UoP I thought he threw the ball great. I thought it was so-so last night and he recognized it. I didn't have to tell him. That's a learning experience for him."
