After dropping Sunday’s rubber match of a three-game series against reigning national champion Oregon State, Stanford baseball will resume its cross-peninsula rivalry with Santa Clara tonight at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal, having fallen short against the Broncos twice to start the season, is looking for a pick-me-up, even if outside the conference.

Stanford (18-23, 3-12 Pacific-10 Conference) continues to struggle, especially against conference competition, and the squad will conclude its six-game homestand with its third of four games against West Coast Conference-rival Santa Clara (22-23, 7-8 WCC). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. tonight.

In the Cardinal’s previous two games against the Broncos, Stanford was outscored 19-8. Pitching woes have continued to plague head coach Mark Marquess’ team of late, as the Cardinal has given up seven or more runs in five of its last six contests. The Broncos, meanwhile, have scored 30 runs over their past four games.

Stanford’s team ERA this year currently sits at 6.21, while opponents have pitched at a 5.00 ERA clip against the Cardinal.

Now entering the final month of the regular season, Stanford is still looking for its first series win against a conference opponent this year. The Cardinal will get its chance against Washington State, Washington and Southern California in May — three teams ranked ninth, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Pac-10.

Tonight’s matchup against the Broncos could be a necessary tune-up before the team’s long trip to Pullman, Wash. this weekend to face the Cougars (21-20, 4-11 Pac-10).

The Broncos’ offense comes into Sunken Diamond led by freshman catcher Tommy Medica, who has notched a .392 batting average on the year to go with team-leading marks in on-base percentage (.435) and slugging percentage (.517). Meanwhile, the Broncos’ pitchers have posted a 4.15 team ERA this season, while opponents have a 3.64 ERA against Santa Clara this season.