February 14, 1999
FULLERTON, Calif. - Sophomore Joe Borchard (Camarillo, CA/Camarillo HS) hit two home runs to lead No. 10 Stanford (6-3) to a 7-6 win over visiting Santa Clara (1-5) on Sunday afternoon at Sunken Diamond. The two homer game was the second of Borchard's career, with the first coming in a 19-1 win over Minnesota in the NCAA West Regional on May 22, 1997.
Borchard gave the Cardinal a 3-0 lead with a three-run blast in the bottom of the second inning. Senior Josh Hochgesang (Fullerton, CA/Sunny Hills HS) led off with a single and junior Damien Alvarado (Sacramento, CA/Jesuit HS) followed with a walk before Borchard blasted a 3-1 pitch over the left-center field fence. Junior Craig Thompson (Dallas, TX/Lake Highlands HS) gave the Cardinal a 5-0 lead later in the inning with a two-run homer to right.
Santa Clara, however, came right back with four runs in the top of the third. Junior Eliot Wheeler (Mountain View, CA/St. Francis HS) sparked the rally with a two-run single. Stanford answered back in the bottom of the fourth on Borchard's tape-measure solo home run over right-center field fence. The Cardinal added another run in the fifth for a 7-4 advantage, but the Broncos didn't go quietly in the ninth.
With two outs in the top of the ninth, senior Kevin Okimoto (Palo Alto, CA/Palo Alto HS) cut the Cardinal lead to one with a two-run single to left. Stanford closer Tony Cogan (Highland Park, IL/Highland Park HS) then earned his second save of the season by striking out freshman Matt Queen (Saratoga, CA/Archibishop Mitty HS) to end the game with runners on first and second.
Freshman Jason VanMeetren (Las Vegas, NV/Bishop Gorman HS) earned the win on the mound for the Cardinal in his first collegiate appearance as a pitcher. VanMeetren, who has also started two games in left field for the Cardinal, retired all seven batters he faced, including three on strikes, after entering the game in the top of the third.
For Santa Clara, senior Ryan Hinn (Gilroy, CA/Gilroy HS) paced the 12-hit attack by going 3-for-4. Santa Clara starter Camden Kelley (Hubbard, OR/Treasure Valley CC) took the loss, and fell to 1-1.
The third and final game of the series is on Monday at Santa Clara's Buck Shaw Stadium at 1 p.m.
Santa Clara 004 000 002 --- 6 12 3 Stanford 050 110 00x --- 7 5 1Kelley, Wood (4), Crudale (6), Ampi (8) and Ward; Gosling, VanMeetren (3), Drew (6), Cogan (9) and Alvarado.
WP - VanMeetren (1-0).
LP - Kelley (1-1).
SV - Cogan (2).
2B - Theoharis (SCU).
HR - Borchard (STAN) 2 - 2nd inning, two on & 4th inning, none on; Thompson (STAN) 2nd inning, two on.
Records - Santa Clara 1-5, Stanford 6-3.