March 4, 2000
Santa Clara, Calif. - #2 Stanford exploded for five runs in the second inning and held on for a 6-4 win at Santa Clara in a non-conference baseball game on Saturday at Buck Shaw Stadium. The Cardinal improves to 13-5 overall with the team's sixth win in its last seven games while Santa Clara drops to 7-11. Stanford had a season-high six doubles in today's contest as Craig Thompson, Eric Bruntlett and Jason Cooper each hit a pair of two-baggers. Edmund Muth added a solo homer to retake the club's home run lead with four on the season. Brian Sager (3-1) and Jeff Bruksch (4th save) combined for a six-hitter.
"It was nice to see our bats come around a bit today," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess following the game. "We've been hitting the ball better lately and today some of those balls we've been hitting hard dropped in. We also got another great pitching performance from both (Brian) Sager and (Jeff) Bruksch."
The Cardinal, which had scored just two runs in its last two games, posted its biggest inning of the year with its five-run second. Billy Jacobson led off the rally with an infield single. Andy Topham's RBI-single three batters later to bring home Jacobson was the first of four consecutive RBI-hits in the frame. Thompson followed Topham with an RBI-double, his second double in as many innings. Bruntlett brought home the third and fourth runs with a two-run single before Muth singled up the middle to score Bruntlett with the inning's final run.
"It was good to execute with guys on base today," said Thompson. "Our pitching staff has been doing so much all year. It was great to be able to get them a few of runs early in the ballgame. Hopefully, this will get us going offensively."
Santa Clara cut the score to 5-2 with single runs in the third and fifth innings before a two-run home run by Travis Hinton in the bottom of the sixth closed the Cardinal lead to 5-4. The Broncos took advantage of a pair of Cardinal errors to score an unearned run without posting a hit in the fifth.
Bruksch relieved Sager (5.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K) after Hinton's home run with no outs in the sixth and pitched brilliantly after a shaky start, allowing just two hits and striking out four in 4.0 innings. The Broncos loaded the bases off Bruksch with one out in the sixth on a single by Joey Gomez and a pair of hit batsmen. Bruksch then regained control by striking out Mike Balestreri and retiring leadoff hitter Todd Hughes on a pop-up.Stanford added an insurance run on Muth's solo home run in the top of the ninth to take a 6-4 lead.
Bruksch would not allow another hit until a two-out single by Chris Jakubauskas in the ninth sent Eliot Wheeler to the plate as the tying run. Bruksch closed out the game when Wheeler hit into a fielder choice on a ground ball to second base.
"I always feel like it's my game from the time I get in there," said Bruksch, who has recorded either a decision or save in all seven of his appearances this season. "I feel like it's my job to hold down the opponent, but it was also a huge home run by Edmund (Muth) in the top of the ninth to give us a bit of breathing room."
Stanford finished the game with 12 hits, one shy of equaling a season-high. Muth (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), Bruntlett (2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI), Thompson (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) and Cooper (2-for-4, 2 2B) led the way. Hinton (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) was the only Bronco with more than one hit.The teams return to Sunken Diamond on Sunday (1:00 p.m.) to complete their three-game series.