The Cardinal gave a standing-room only crowd at Sunken Diamond reasons to stay for the full nine innings beyond the post-game fireworks. Stanford rallied with a five-run burst in the seventh inning to defeat Washington 8-4.

The game featured several of the characteristics that have made the Cardinal successful despite not being a statistically dominant team. Facing Noah Bremer -- one of the best pitchers in the conference at 6-2 with a 2.29 ERA before Friday -- the Cardinal put together their best game of the season against an opposing ace.

"It was a great offensive effort on our part against a quality pitcher," said head coach mark Marquess.

And the Cardinal needed that type of performance against Bremer because of some odd plays. Washington led 4-3 despite only having three hits through six innings. The Huskies would finish with three as Stanford starter Kris Bubic and Tyler Thorne didn't allow the Washington lineup to get going. Bubic (5-6, 3.35 ERA) hung on for the win.

While Bubic didn't give Washington much to hit, the Cardinal also made life tough on themselves for several innings.

"We really gave them a lot," Marquess said. "They had the leadoff guy on three times -- two walks and one time we struck the guy out and it went to the backstop. Then Jesse (Kuet) made the one error and they got something. They didn't get many hits but we gave them a lot of opportunities."



After Bubic put up a zero in the top of the seventh, the Cardinal dug in and did what they have done so often in the seventh inning, breakthrough with the bats. It almost is expected in the dugout that late in the game the Cardinal will find a way to string together some hits.

The fact it has happened multiple times this season doesn't mean they have an explanation, though.

"I really don't know what it is," Brandon Wulff laughed. "I think it's what is awesome about the team this year is we'll go down, but we don't panic. We come back next inning and put it back on them. The pressure is never on us. It's always on them."

Friday's seventh inning rally didn't take long to start. Jesse Kuet singled with one out -- giving him six hits in his past eight at-bats -- and Matt Winaker stepped in against Bremer, a friend since high school.