March 31, 2000
Tempe, Ariz. - Justin Wayne tossed a two-hitter to lead #2 Stanford (21-7, 3-1 Pac-10) to a crucial 5-1 victory at #7 Arizona State (26-8, 2-2 Pac-10) in the opener of a Pac-10 series between the clubs on Friday at Packard Stadium. Wayne's complete game was his fourth of the season as he improved to 7-1 this year and 23-2 in his Stanford career, the best all-time record ever by a Cardinal pitcher. Wayne retired 17 of the last 19 batters he faced after allowed back-to-back singles to Mike Lopez and John Gusich in the bottom of the third inning as he became the first pitcher to two-hit the offensively potent Sun Devils since 1989.
"I knew I had to come out here and shut them down," said Wayne following the contest. "I had such an outstanding defense behind me and our guys scored the runs we needed to win."Stanford moved into a three-way first place tie with UCLA and USC early in the Pac-10 pennant race. All three teams are 3-1 in conference action.
John Gall and Edmund Muth both hit two-run homers to pace the Cardinal offense. Muth (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) was the only player for either team with more than one hit.
Gall homered with two outs in the top of the first to give the Cardinal a 2-0 lead. Muth had beat out a two-out infield single to keep the rally alive.
Arizona State picked up a run off Wayne in the bottom of the third. Lopez and Gusich singled back-to-back to lead off the inning before Jonah Martin was hit with one out to load the bases. Lopez came across to score on an RBI-fielders choice by Jeff Duncan.
Muth gave the Cardinal a cushion with his team-leading eighth homer of the season, a two-run shot in the sixth. The Cardinal scored its final run in the top of the ninth when Jason VanMeetren crossed the plate on Billy Jacobson's two-strike squeeze.
Jon Switzer (6-1) suffered his first loss of the season for the Sun Devils, allowing six hits and five runs.
The teams continue their three-game series with single contests on Saturday and Sunday, both beginning at 1:00 p.m.