March 1, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - No. 9 Stanford (10-7) scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and held on for a 10-6 victory over No. 16 USC (7-7) to even its series with the Trojans on Saturday at Sunken Diamond. The teams will play the rubber game Sunday (1:00 pm). Sam Fuld (4-5), Brian Hall (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) and Ryan Garko (2-4, 2B, 3 RBI) led Stanford's offensive attack. Ryan McCally (2-1) scattered five runs (three earned) and eight hits with seven strikeouts over the first 7.2 innings to earn the win, while David O'Hagan recorded the final four outs for his first collegiate save.
"It was huge after last night's tough loss to get six runs in the first inning," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess in reference to USC's 13-4 victory in the series opener on Friday night. "I expected our team to come back and play hard. We battled today and did a good job."
"I'm obviously not satisfied, but it definitely was a momentum builder," said Fuld after raising his average .40 points to a season-high .257 with his first four-hit game of the season. "I hope I can keep it going."
Garko's three RBI ran his season total to 19 in the team's first 17 contests.
USC had homers by Jeff Clement, Joey Metropoulos (2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) and David Gordon (3-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI) in its comeback attempt and has gone deep six times in the first two games of the series. Anthony Lunetta (2-5, 2B) also had a pair of hits for the Trojans.
USC starter Frazier Dizard (1-1) suffered the loss, surrendering six runs on three hits and three walks before being removed from the game after recording just one out. Clayton Wentworth was the most impressive of four Trojan relievers, holding the Cardinal scoreless in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings on just one hit.
Hall walked to lead off the Stanford first, moved to second on a single by Fuld, third on a wild pitch from Dizard and scored when Moon failed to come up with the throw from Clement on his attempt to throw Hall out at third base. After a walk to Carlos Quentin, Garko doubled down the right field line to score Fuld. John Mayberry, Jr. walked to reload the bases and the Cardinal had its third run when Dizard hit Danny Putnam with the bases loaded. Tobin Swope followed with a one-out RBI single two batters later to score Mayberry and Hall capped the rally when his two-out, two-RBI single scored Putnam and Chris Lewis.
USC got one run back in the top of the second on Clement's mammoth solo home run over the right field fence, his seventh of the season.
Stanford extended its lead to 8-1 with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Hall singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a bunt single by Fuld and third on a throwing error by Moon on the play. Garko's one-out single two batters later plated both runners.
USC began its comeback in the top of the seventh when Gordon singled with one out and scored on an RBI groundout by Travis McAndrews.
The Trojans cut Stanford's lead to 8-5 with three runs in the top of the eighth inning on a one-out solo homer by Metropoulos and a two-out, two-run shot from Gordon that chased McCally. O'Hagan immediately gave up a double to Darin Vieira and threw a wild pitch to move Vieira to third base before retiring pinch-hitter Baron Frost on a ground ball to Swope to get out of the jam.
Stanford picked up a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Hall doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a single by Fuld and scored on Quentin's RBI groundout. Mayberry connected on a two-out RBI single two batters later to score Fuld and extend his career-high hit streak to 10 games.
USC scored a run in the top of the ninth when McAndrews doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a two-out double by Metropoulos before O'Hagan retired Moon on a groundout to Mayberry at first base to end the contest.
Stanford freshman LHP Mark Romanczuk (3-0, 2.84) is expected to make his first collegiate start in Sunday's series finale versus USC LHP Bobby Paschal (0-2, 2.60).