May 9, 2000
Santa Clara, Calif. - John Gall's two-run homer in the seventh inning snapped a 4-4 tie and keyed a seven-run rally in the seventh inning as #2 Stanford (38-12) came away with a 16-4 win over Santa Clara (20-36) in a non-conference NCAA baseball game at Buck Shaw Stadium. Stanford has now won 17 of its last 20 games overall and 15 straight against Santa Clara dating back to February 16, 1997. Edmund Muth added his team-leading 15th home run of the season to lead off the ninth inning. Damien Alvarado (3-for-5, 2 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and Chris O'Riordan (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI) led Stanford's 16-hit offensive attack. Muth (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), Eric Bruntlett (2-for-4, 2B, 3 RBI), and Gall (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBI) each had two hits and three RBI for the Cardinal.Brian Sager and Jason Luker combined for a three-hit pitching effort. Luker (3-0) was credited with the victory as he tossed four innings of hitless relief.
"It was nice to put together a big inning late in the game," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We've been able to put together a few big innings lately. We also had an excellent pitching performance from Brian Sager and Jason Luker."
The Cardinal scored 12 runs in the final three innings to break open what had been a 4-4 tie heading into the top of the seventh. Alvarado also had an RBI double in the seventh, while Bruntlett and Muth each added two-RBI singles. Craig Thompson had a bases clearing three-RBI double with two outs in the eighth inning, while Muth's homer and an RBI single by O'Riordan accounted for a pair of Cardinal runs in the ninth.
Stanford had jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings. Bruntlett's RBI double scored Thompson to put the Cardinal on the scoreboard in the first inning. O'Riordan and Alvarado both had solo homers in the top of the second to put the Cardinal ahead 3-0.
The Broncos tied the score with three runs in the bottom of the third inning. Todd Hughes drove home Norm Hayes with an RBI single for the first Santa Clara run. Joe Diefenderfer tied the score one batter later with a two-run homer to right center.
The teams traded run in the fifth inning. Gall drew a bases loaded walk off Bronco reliever and losing pitcher Mike Detrick (0-3) in the top of the fifth before the Broncos retied the score at 4-4 on a solo homer by Mike Balestreri in the bottom of the frame.
Stanford will continue its string of four consecutive non-conference games by hosting Saint Mary's on Wednesday, May 10 (6 pm). After a bye in Pac-10 action next weekend, first-place Stanford will travel to USF (Monday, May 15, 2:30 pm) and Nevada (Tuesday, May 16, 2 pm) prior to hosting second place UCLA in a regular season ending series from May 19-21 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm).