May 10, 2000
Stanford, Calif. - Jason Young won his 13th consecutive decision as three Stanford pitchers combined for a two-hitter in a 7-0 Cardinal win over Saint Mary's in a non-conference baseball game at Sunken Diamond on Wednesday. Second-ranked Stanford (39-12) picked up its 18th win in the last 21 games, while Saint Mary's (19-32) falls for the seventh time in its last eight outings. The Cardinal victory completed a three-game sweep of the Gaels this season. The contest was played in just 2:01, the shortest Cardinal game of the season.
"We're swinging the bats very well lately and have played some solid defense," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess.
Stanford's offensive attack was led by Joe Borchard, who finished 2-for-4 with a solo homer in the second inning and two RBI. John Gall (2-for-4, 2 2B, RBI) moved to within one double of tying the Pac-10's career record in that category with the 73rd and 74th doubles of his career. Andy Topham (2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI) also had a two-hit game, while Eric Bruntlett smacked his 20th double of the season to move into a 10th place tie on Stanford's single-season double list.
Young, who improved to 7-0 on the season, pitched four hitless innings to open the game and was credited with the win due to a predetermined pitch count. Mike Gosling relieved Young in the fifth and allowed just one hit over the next four innings, a two-out single in the sixth inning by James Gaulke that served as the Gaels' first hit of the contest. Ryan McCally pitched the ninth inning, allowing a one-out double to Mark Teahen.
Stanford led just 1-0 on Borchard's second inning solo homer before erupting for five runs in the bottom of the fifth. Topham and Arik VanZandt led off the inning with singles and were moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Craig Thompson. Bruntlett was then hit by Eric Siegel to load the bases. Edmund Muth's sacrifice fly scored Topham with the first run of the inning before Borchard followed with an RBI single and Gall with an RBI double. The final run of the frame scored when the Gaels threw towards the wrong base on Gall's double.
The Cardinal closed out the scoring with a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth on a two-RBI double by Topham.
Saint Mary's starter J.G. LaRochette (2-4) suffered the loss for the Gaels despite giving up just one hit and one run in the first three innings.
Stanford will have a bye in Pac-10 action next weekend before traveling to non-conference games at USF (Monday, May 15, 1 pm) and Nevada (Tuesday, May 16, 2 pm) early next week. The first-place Cardinal will then host second-place UCLA in a regular season ending series at Sunken Diamond from May 19-21 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm).