TUCSON, Ariz. – The Stanford Cardinal used a five-run seventh inning to come from behind and top the Arizona Wildcats 8-2 in the series opener Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.
 
The loss dropped Arizona to 23-13 on the season and 6-7 in Pac-12 Play. Stanford, ranked No. 2 in the country, improved to 28-5 and 10-3 in league play.
 
Trailing 2-0 through six innings, the Cardinal blew the game open with five runs in the seventh, finally getting to Arizona starter Cody Deason. Catcher Maverick Handley walked to lead off the inning and scored when the next batter, Bryce Carter, tripled to right-center. Centerfielder Christian Robinson then brought Carter home on a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two.
 
The next batter, Alec Wilson, hit a solo home run to right field off Deason for his first long ball of the season to make it 3-2. Deason then exited, but RBI singles from Andrew Daschbach and Kyle Stowers made it 5-2.
 
The Cardinal added another run in the eighth and two more in the ninth on back-to-back home runs from Dashbach and Stowers to make it 8-2.
 
The Cardinal comeback came after Arizona control the game through six innings.
 
The Wildcats jumped on Stanford starter Tristan Beck in the first inning, plating an early run. Cameron Cannon reached on a one-out error and Alfonso Rivas followed with his ninth double of the season to center to score Cannon from first and make it 1-0. The double extended Rivas' hitting streak to eight games and gave him 35 RBI on the season.
 
That remained the score until the sixth inning. With two outs and Tate Soderstrom on second, freshman Donta Williams singled to bring home Soderstrom and make it 2-0, after Deason dominated through six.
 
But the Cardinal got to Deason in the seventh and completed their comeback.
 
Williams, and fellow freshman Soderstrom, each had two hits in the loss. Soderstrom finished 2 for 3 with a run scored and Williams was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Rivas also finished 2 for 4 with an RBI.
 
The Cats and Cardinal will continue their three-game series Saturday night at 7 p.m. Stanford will start left-hander Kris Bubic, while Arizona will counter with junior right-hander Michael Flynn. The Pac-12 Network will have the telecast.