March 24, 2000
Stanford, Calif. - Arizona (17-16, 2-2 Pac-10) spoiled the Pac-10 opener for #1 Stanford (17-7, 0-1 Pac-10), knocking off the Cardinal by a final score of 8-5 at Sunken Diamond on Friday. Stanford junior righthander Justin Wayne had his 16-game winning streak on the mound snapped as he failed to break the Pac-10 record for consecutive victories that he equaled in his last start versus USC a week ago. Wayne's last loss came in his first game of the 1999 season versus Fresno State on January 30, 1999.
Arizona sophomore righthander Ben Diggins scattered eight hits and five runs over 7.0 innings to improve his record to 7-0 this season. Ernie Durazo (2-for-4, 2B, 3B) led Arizona's offensive attack by tying a career-high four RBI.
The Wildcats scored a pair of unearned runs off Wayne in the top of the first inning. Wayne made the key error in the inning, dropping a throw from first baseman Craig Thompson on a ground ball by leadoff hitter Tony Gingrich.
Stanford tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Joe Borchard hit a towering two-run, two-out homer.
Arizona surged ahead with three runs in the top of the sixth as Ernie Durazo provided the key blow with a two-RBI triple off Wayne. Ryan O'Donnell also had an RBI-single in the inning.Stanford rallied back with a run in the sixth inning, taking advantage of three walks by Diggins. Jason Van Meetren walked with the bases loaded to drive in the run before Diggins retired Damien Alvarado to get out of the bases loaded jam.
Tony Milo came on in relief of Diggins in the eighth and retired all six batters he faced, three on strikeouts, over the final 2.0 innings to record his third save of the year.
The teams both scored twice in the seventh inning. Durazo had a two-run double to drive in two runs for the Wildcats, while the Cardinal scored on an RBI-single by Eric Bruntlett and a sacrifice fly by Edmund Muth.
Arizona added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a solo homer by Shelley Duncan, his 11th of the season.
Duncan (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), O'Donnell (2-for-5, 2B, RBI) and Gingrich (2-for-5, 2B) all joined Durazo with multiple-hit games.
Chris O'Riordan (2-for-4) and Eric Bruntlett (2-for-5, RBI) both had multiple-hit games for the Cardinal.
The teams continue their three-game series with single contests on Saturday and Sunday, both beginning at 1:00 p.m.