April 4, 2000
Stanford, Calif. - #7 Stanford snapped a two-game losing skid by crushing Sacramento State, 18-2, in a non-conference baseball game at Sunken Diamond on Wednesday. The Cardinal set new season-highs with 18 hits, 19 runs and five home runs in the victory to improve to 22-9 overall. John Gall (4-4, 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI) and Craig Thompson (4-4, 2B, 2 RBI) led the offensive onslaught. Gall homered in his first two at bats and remained red hot with five homers in his last five games. Thompson, who was 3-for-3 last Sunday at Arizona State, now has hits in seven straight official at bats and has reached base in each of his last nine plate appearances.
Sacramento State falls to 12-18 overall.
Stanford led 10-0 after just two innings as Gall opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. Stanford's seven-run second inning was highlighted by Joe Borchard's bases clearing three-RBI double. Gall also had a two-run homer in the frame.
The Hornets scored their only two runs on a two-run homer by Carlos Morales in the fourth inning.
Stanford resumed its scoring with a three-run third. Thompson had a solo homer for the first run before Edmund Muth blasted his team-leading ninth home run of the season, a two-run shot to put Stanford ahead 13-2.
Pinch-hitter Arik VanZandt homered in his first at bat of the season in the seventh inning to give the Cardinal a 14-2 margin.
Stanford closed out its scoring with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. VanZandt had a two-RBI double and Andy Topham contributed an RBI-single. The Cardinal also scored a run on a wild pitch.
VanZandt (2-2, 2B, HR, 3 RBI), Topham (2-5, RBI) and Eric Bruntlett (2-3, 2B) all joined Gall and Thompson with more than one hit for the Cardinal. Jesse Krebs (2-4) and Casey Clark (2-4) had two hits each for the Hornets.
Jason Luker (2-0) was credited with the victory. He was the first of five Stanford pitchers, none of which pitched more than two innings.
The Cardinal returns to Pac-10 play this Friday (3:00 p.m.) with the first game of a three-game set at Washington State.