March 30, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - Carlos Quentin's two-run walkoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning lifted No. 8 Stanford (18-9, 4-2 Pac-10) to a dramatic 12-11 victory over No. 24 Washington (19-9, 1-2 Pac-10) in the deciding game of a three-game Pac-10 series on Sunday at Sunken Diamond. The victory moved Stanford into a first-place tie in the Pac-10 standings with California (17-13, 4-2 Pac-10) and gave the Cardinal its sixth straight series victory.
"It was one of those wild games where the team that had the last turn at bat might score to win it, and that's the way it turned out," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "It was a great game if you like offensive baseball."
Brian Hall drew a walk to lead off the Cardinal ninth before Quentin smacked a 1-2 pitch from losing pitcher David Dowling (5-2) over the left field wall. Quentin (3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) had three hits to extended his career-high hit streak to 15 games and raised his team-high batting average to .392.
"I'm trying to get a good pitch to hit every time I go to the plate, but the home run actually was a ball," said Quentin, who homered for just the second time this after hitting 23 in his first two seasons on The Farm.
"Carlos has matured and is just a better overall hitter this year," added Marquess. "His power will come."
Stanford has won 15 of its last 19 games overall, while Washington has still captured 15 of its last 18 despite dropping two-of-three games to the Cardinal.
Ryan Garko (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) tied a career-high with four RBI and had a key three-run homer in the bottom of the fourth inning to give Stanford its first lead of the day at 7-6 after the Cardinal allowed four first inning runs. He leads the Cardinal with six homers and 33 RBI on the season.
Sam Fuld (3-6, 3B, 2 RBI) also had three hits, extended his season-long hit streak to 11 games and finished March with a .509 batting average (28-for-55). In addition, Fuld regained his spot on top of Stanford's all-time batting average list with an updated career mark of .363, one percentage point of the .362 posted by the late Jack Shepard from 1951-53.
Jed Lowrie (2-4, 2B) and Jonny Ash (2-5, RBI) each had two hits for Stanford.
Washington's Mike Wagner (2-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI) blasted a pair of home runs in his first two at bats and Brent Lillibridge (2-5, HR, 5 RBI) had a seventh inning grandslam to give the Huskies an 11-10 advantage that lasted until Quentin's game-winning long ball. John Otness (3-4, 3B) had three added three hits, while Aaron Hathaway (2-3, 2 RBI) and Greg Isaacson (2-5, 2B) had two hits each. Eight of Washington's nine starters had at least one hit for the second consecutive game.
Kodiak Quick (1-0) picked up his first collegiate victory with 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.
Washington jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning off Cardinal starter Mark Romanczuk. Wagner highlighted the frame with his first homer of the game, a three-run blast over the left field wall. Hathaway also had an RBI single earlier in the inning to score Tila Reynolds.
Stanford answered back with four runs of its own in the bottom of the first, taking advantage of two hit batsmen and a walk by Washington starter Trevor Gibson. The Cardinal loaded the bases with one out on a single by Fuld, a hit batsmen and a single by Garko. Danny Putnam drew a bases loaded walk to score the first Stanford run and John Mayberry, Jr. was hit by a pitch to make the score 4-2. Ash then singled home Garko and Tobin Swope's sacrifice fly brought home Putnam to tie the game.
Washington came back with a run in the top of the second to go back ahead, 5-4. Isaacson led off with a single, moved to second when Taylor Johnson was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI single by Hathaway.
Wagner gave the Huskies another run with his second homer of the game to lead off the top of the third, just clearing the right field fence above a leaping Quentin.
Stanford took its first lead of the contest in the bottom of fourth when Garko blasted a three-run homer to put the Cardinal ahead, 7-6. Hall had walked and Quentin singled to lead off the inning.
Washington retied the contest at 7-7 in the top of the fifth after a line drive by Otness to right field got by a diving Quentin for a triple and Lillibridge singled him home.
Stanford scored three times in the bottom of the fifth to retake a 10-7 margin. A two-RBI triple by Fuld scored Swope and Lowrie with the first two runs before Garko beat out a bases loaded ground ball for an RBI fielders choice to plate Fuld.
Wagner was hit by a pitch with one out to start Washington's four-run seventh inning rally before singles by Kyle Larsen and Otness loaded the bases for Lillibridge's grandslam.
Dowling got Washington out of a seventh inning jam when he came in with Cardinal runners on first and third base and retired both batters he faced. He also pitched a scoreless eighth before giving up Quentin's game-winning blast in the ninth. Dowling also was also credited with the loss in Saturday's contest.
Stanford collected 14 hits to mark the 11th straight contest the Cardinal has reached double digit in hits. The Cardinal raised its team batting average to .322, the highest it's been since the team had 15 hits in its first contest of the season at Santa Clara. Stanford scored 103 runs in its 11 March games for a 9.3 per game average.
The contest included six hit batsmen as Stanford was hit four times and Washington twice.
Romanczuk's perfect 6-0 record remained intact with a no decision despite allowing six runs and eight hits over the first 3.0 innings. Gibson also lasted just 3.0 innings, allowing four runs and three hits with three walks and four hit batsmen.
Stanford improved to 13-4 this year and 42-8 over the past two seasons at Sunken Diamond.Stanford will conclude its current four-game homestand by hosting USF in a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 1 (6 pm, PT). The Cardinal returns to Pac-10 action at Washington State next Friday-Sunday, April 4-6 (3 pm, 12 pm, 11 am, PT).