May 25, 2001
Stanford, Calif. - Freshman outfielder Sam Fuld executed a two-strike squeeze play in the bottom of the seventh inning for the go-ahead run as Stanford (43-14) squeezed by Marist (32-20-1) in a first round NCAA Baseball Tournament game at Sunken Diamond on Friday. The Cardinal advances to play Texas in a second-round winners bracket game on Saturday, May 26 (3:00 p.m.). Fuld (2-3, 3B, 2 RBI) was the only Stanford player with more than one hit and also had a game-tying triple that scored O'Riordan in the bottom of the fifth frame.
"I've never squeezed before in my life," said Fuld. "I was thinking about getting it down and not showing it too early. I just wanted to do what I've been doing all along in practice."Jeremy Guthrie (11-4) picked up the win for the Cardinal in his first collegiate post-season appearance, scattering nine hits and three runs over the first 7.1 innings. Guthrie struck out five and walked only one.
Mike Wodnicki earned his team-leading sixth save after relieving Guthrie with one run already in and the tying run at second base with one out in the top of the eighth inning. Wodnicki struck out cleanup hitter Tim Bittner and forced Tim Allen into a ground out to end the Red Foxes' threat. After walking Ben Cueto to lead off the ninth frame, Wodnicki retired the final three batters he faced.
"This was a great college baseball game," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We're fortunate to come out on top, it was a big win for us."
Stanford scored first in the game with an unearned run off Marist starter Chris Tracz in the bottom of the first inning. Fuld singled with one out, moved to second on a two-out fielding error by Marist shortstop Steven O'Sullivan and scored on an RBI single by Jason Cooper.
Marist fired right back with two runs in the top of the second inning to take a 2-1 lead. Bittner led off the inning with a single and scored on a one-out double by Cueto. Jimmy Board's two-out RBI single scored Cueto.
The Cardinal tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth when O'Riordan walked with one out and scored on Fuld's triple.
After Fuld's squeeze put the Cardinal ahead in the seventh, Carlos Quentin followed with an RBI-double to extend Stanford's lead to 4-2.
Stanford has now won 10 of its last 12 games and improved to 25-4 at Sunken Diamond this season. Marist had its five-game winning streak snapped as Tracz (10-1) suffered his first loss of the season.
Ryan Brady (2-3) was the only Marist player with more than one hit.
Marist will play Long Beach State in a regional elimination game on Saturday (11 am). The 49ers were an 11-2 loser to Texas in a first-round regional game at Stanford on Friday.