April 20, 2000
Los Angeles, Calif. - USC (27-15, 8-5 Pac-10) snapped #4 Stanford's season-high eight-game win streak with a 7-3 victory over the Cardinal (29-10, 9-4 Pac-10) in a Pac-10 baseball game at Dedeaux Field. Ric Currier (10-2) became the first Pac-10 pitcher to win his 10th game this season. Stanford's Justin Wayne (9-2) lost only his second game of the year and only the third in his career, allowing nine hits and six runs in 5.0 IP. His all-time Stanford record falls to 25-3. John Gall did break Stanford's all-time record for doubles when he hit the 68th double of his Stanford career in the seventh inning. The double also extended Gall's hitting streak to 13 games, tying a career-high.
The Cardinal had come into the contest tied for first place with Arizona State but dropped a game behind the Sun Devils after they posted a come from behind 10-8 win over UCLA in Tempe.The Trojans opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning on a two RBI double down the third base line by Eric Verbryke. Stanford cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the third on Andy Topham's first collegiate home run before a two-out, two-RBI single by Anthony Lunetta in the bottom of the third extended the Trojan lead to 4-1.
Stanford cut the score to 4-2 with a run in the top of the fifth. However, the Cardinal left the bases loaded in the inning. The Cardinal had loaded the bases with no outs but scored just one run when John Gall reached on catchers interference with one out. Currier then struck out Chris O'Riordan for the second out and Damien Alvarado flied out to left field to end the threat.
USC immediately answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI-single by Justin Gemoll and a sacrifice fly by Lunetta. Joe Borchard hit a solo homer in the seventh for the Cardinal, his ninth of the season, to cut USC's lead to 6-3. The Trojans added an insurance run in the in the eighth on an RBI single by Seth Davidson.
Davidson (3-5, RBI, SB) led the USC attack, while Gemoll (2-4, 2B, RBI), Beau Craig (2-4, 2B) and Josh Persell (2-5) also had multiple-hit games. Lunetta finished with three RBI, while Verbryke drove in a pair. Borchard (2-3, HR, RBI) and Edmund Muth (2-5) had more than one hit each for the Cardinal.
Pete Montrenes picked up his second save of the season, striking out five batters in the final 2.1 innings.
USC leadoff hitter Brian Barre struck out five times in his five at bats.
"The difference in tonight's game is that we didn't hit when he had guys on base and they did," explained Stanford head coach Mark Marquess.
Stanford and USC continue the three-game series with single games on Friday (6 pm) and Saturday (1 pm).