April 22, 2000
LOS ANGELES - #4 Stanford (31-10, 11-4 Pac-10) remained in a first place tie in the Pac-10 race after blasting USC, 18-4, in the finale of a three-game series Saturday afternoon at Dedeaux Field. Stanford, which won the final two games of the series after losing the opener, tied a season-high with five home runs as Damien Alvarado, Joe Borchard, Edmund Muth, Andy Topham and Arik VanZandt all went deep. Stanford pounded out a season-high 23 hits as five Cardinal hitters had multiple-hit contests and all nine starters had at least one hit. Alvarado (4-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Muth (4-6, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) led Stanford as both players tied a career-high with four hits. VanZandt (3-3, HR, 4 RBI), Topham (3-5, HR, 2 RBI), Eric Bruntlett (3-5, RBI) and Chris ORiordan (3-6, 2 2B) had three hits each for the Cardinal. The Cardinal has now won 10 of its last 11 games and remained in a first place tie with Arizona State, an 18-3 winner over UCLA on Saturday.
"We hadnt been hitting the ball very well this series, but we sure broke out of it today," said a happy Stanford head coach Mark Marquess following the game. "It was one of those days when the conditions were right for hitting. This was a big series for us. Im pleased with our efforts today. I felt that we were dominated a bit offensively the first two days but battled enough to win last night."
Tim Cunningham (3-1) picked up the win for Stanford, his third straight Pac-10 victory in as many conference starts. Cunningham pitched the first 5.1 innings, scattering nine hits and four runs (three earned). Mike Gosling held the Trojans hitless over the final 3.2 innings to record his third save of the season. USC starter Anthony Reyes (3-6) suffered the defeat, giving up seven hits and six runs in 5.0 innings.
Stanford had led just 6-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Gosling relieved Cunningham with a runner on first base and one out. Gosling proceeded to load the bases on a pair of walks and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. USCs Seth Davidson then hit a line drive to Stanford right fielder Joe Borchard, who made a brilliant throw to double up Rob Garibaldi trying to tag up and score from third base to end the USC threat.
Stanford then scored six times in the seventh inning to turn a close contest into a blowout. Topham singled home ORiordan with the first run of the inning to increase Stanfords lead to 7-4. VanZandt followed Tophams RBI single with the key blow of the inning, a three-run homer to right center with Alvarado and Topham on base. Borchard hit a two-out, two-run homer to account for the final two runs of the frame.
The Cardinal followed with three more runs in both the eighth and the ninth innings. VanZandt and Bruntlett had RBI singles in the eighth inning before Bruntlett scored the third run on a wild pitch. John Gall led off the ninth inning with a single to extend his career-high hitting streak to 15 games and move within three hits of the Pac-10 career hit record, currently held by Arizonas Chip Hale (337). Gall now has 335 career hits. Gall scored the first Cardinal run of the ninth on an RBI ground out by pinch hitter Mario Garza. Craig Thompson, the last Cardinal starter to record a hit, then drove home a pair of runs with his two-RBI single to left field.
The teams combined for eight homers as Justin Gemoll, Beau Craig and Mark Prior each had solo shots for the Trojans. Prior (2-4, HR, RBI), Craig (2-4, HR, RBI) and Seth Davidson (2-4, RBI) each had two hits for USC.
Stanford did commit a season-high five errors in todays game and left 12 runners on base.
Stanford begins a five-game homestand on Tuesday by hosting Cal Poly (6 pm) at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal continues the homestand with a three-game series versus California next Friday-Sunday (6 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm) before hosting USF to conclude the five-game home stretch on Monday, May 1 (6 pm).