STANFORD, Calif. – Kevin Abel struck out seven in a complete-game effort but a sixth-inning home run was the difference in Oregon State's 1-0 loss to No. 9 Stanford in the three-game series opener Thursday night at Sunken Diamond.
Abel, who worked a season-long eight innings, surpassed the 100-strikeout plateau for the second time in his career, becoming just the third pitcher in school history to do so. The righty has 106 strikeouts on the year, which is now nine shy of 10th for a single-season at OSU. Abel, however, took the loss due to Brock Jones' solo home run in the sixth inning that put the Cardinal on the board.