Feb. 17, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - Mark Marquess picked up his 1100th career victory and No. 10 Stanford (7-5) won its fourth straight game with a 5-4 victory over Nevada (4-6) on Monday at Sunken Diamond. Pinch-hitter Danny Putnam snapped a 4-4 tie with a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning to score John Mayberry, Jr. with the eventual game-winning run. Ryan Garko homered for the second time in the past three games and the third time this season with a two-run shot over the left field wall in the bottom of the third inning.
"We've had a lot of great talent at Stanford, and I've been very fortunate," said Marquess, who became the 21st coach in NCAA Division I baseball history to reach 1100 wins and needs just one more to move into sole possession of 20th place on the list. "It's nice to reach this milestone but there are more important things right now."
Mayberry tripled down the right field line with two outs before a walk to Jed Lowrie set up Putnam's game-winning hit on a 2-2 pitch from Nevada reliever and losing pitcher Zachary Basch (0-1).
"I was just trying not to do to much," said Putnam. "Obviously it feels good to come through in a big spot like that."
Mark Romanczuk (2-0) earned the victory, striking out two in 1.1 innings of scoreless relief. Romanczuk, who also has two saves in his five career appearances, has not given up a run and allowed just three hits with 12 strikeouts in the first 9.2 innings of his Stanford career.
"Mark Romanczuk has shown great poise early in his career," said Marquess.
Nevada scored all four of its runs on three home runs.
Jacob Butler connected on a two-run homer in the top of the first inning off Cardinal starter Drew Ehrlich to give the Wolfpack a pair of unearned runs. The inning had been extended when Erick Streelman reached on a two-out error by Lowrie at third base.
Tony Cappuccilli (2-3, HR, RBI) launched a long solo homer in the top of the second to give the Wolfpack a 3-0 lead.
A one-out solo homer in the top of the eighth inning by Kevin Kouzmanoff (2-4, HR, RBI), his third of the season, tied the score at 4-4 after the Cardinal had scored four unanswered runs in the bottom of the second and third innings to erase Nevada's early 4-0 lead.
Both of Stanford's second inning runs were unearned. Mayberry reached on a one-out error by Wolfpack second baseman Taylor Pullins before Lowrie doubled to put runners on second and third. Nevada starter Travis Sutton balked Mayberry home and Lowrie to third before Chris Lewis drove home Lowrie with an RBI groundout.
Fuld led off the third inning with a single and scored on Garko's one-out homer over the leftcenter field fence to give Stanford its first lead of the game.
"The momentum of the game seemed to turn around after the homer," said Garko. "It got everybody really excited and was a big lift."
Three Stanford freshmen relievers - Matt Manship (3.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 SO), Kodiak Quick (2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 SO) and Romanczuk (1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 SO) - held Nevada to just one run and six hits with seven strikeouts over the final 7.2 innings.
Lowrie (2-3, 2B) and Tobin Swope (2-4) had two hits each for the Cardinal. Swope raised his team-high batting average to .396.
Stanford travels to defending national champion and No. 4 Texas (10-1) for a three-game series in Austin this Friday-Sunday, February 21-23 (2:30 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm, CT). Texas ended Stanford's 2002 season with a pair of victories over the Cardinal at the College World Series. In 2001, Stanford knocked Texas out of the NCAA Tournament by sweeping a doubleheader against the Longhorns in an NCAA Regional at Sunken Diamond.
"This series versus a team like Texas will be a really good test for our club," said Marquess.