May 24, 2003
Stanford, Calif. - No. 5 Stanford (40-15) extended its string of 40-win seasons to nine in a row with a 12-0 shutout victory over Cal Poly (27-27-1) in a non-conference game at Sunken Diamond on Saturday. Mark Romanczuk (10-0) became the first Pac-10 pitcher to reach to win 10 games this season, while Matt Manship recorded his eighth save to move into a tie for the Pac-10 lead and secure Stanford's fourth shutout of the season. Ryan Garko (4-4, HR, 3 RBI) continued his phenomenal season by setting a new single-season career-high with his 15th homer. Tobin Swope and John Hester also hit their first career home runs in the victory.
"We're proud to reach the 40-win mark for the ninth straight season," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "The name of the game in baseball is consistency, and I'm glad that we've been able to keep this string going. I'm proud of the fact that this has been done by different players carrying on the tradition of Stanford Baseball."
The Cardinal won for the 12th time in its last 13 games and also assured its 12th series victory in its last 13 three-game sets. Stanford will look for its sixth three-game series sweep of the season and third in its last four series Sunday on Fan Appreciation/Senior Day (1 pm, PT). Stanford is scheduled to start LHP Tim Cunningham (2-3, 5.70) versus Cal Poly RHP Andrew McDaniel (4-5, 5.06). The 16 regional sites for the 2003 Division I Baseball Championships will also be announced on Sunday and the entire 64-team field will be revealed live on ESPN2 on Monday, May 26 (9:30 am, PT).
Garko, a Johnny Bench Award finalist and Pac-10 Player of the Year candidate, also tied a career-high with four hits and drove in three runs as he increased his season RBI total to 78, fifth on Stanford's all-time single season list. In addition, Garko raised his season batting average to a team-leading .402 and is making a run to become only the sixth Stanford player to hit .400 or better in a season and the first since David McCarty batted .420 in 1991. Garko is also on the verge of breaking onto Stanford's career lists for both home runs and RBI with current career totals of 36 homers and 177 runs driven in, needing just one long ball and four RBI to enter the school's record books in those categories.
"Ryan Garko has had the best year of his career this season and has really carried us offensively," emphasized Marquess.
Danny Putnam (3-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI) added three hits with a pair of doubles and two RBI for the Cardinal. Sam Fuld extended his hit streak to 13 games with his ninth triple of the season to lead off the bottom of the first inning, leaving him one shy of the school's single-season triple record of 10 set by Jack Shepard in 1953. The triple was also the 15th of Fuld's career, moving him into a tie for fourth on Stanford's all-time list. In addition, Fuld was hit twice and stole a base. Brian Hall (2-3, RBI) continued his hot hitting by extending his hit streak to a career-high-tying eight games and his string of consecutive multiple-hit contests to six. Jed Lowrie tied a career-high with three RBI.
Romanczuk struck out eight batters while allowing just four hits and one walk over the first 6.0 innings before Manship limited the Mustangs to two hits with two strikeouts over the final 3.0 innings.
"It's nice and almost kind of a relief to get that 10th win," said Romanczuk, who came out of his last start with a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning before taking a no-decision in Stanford's 9-5 loss in 12 innings to UCLA on May 17.
The only pitcher in Stanford Baseball history to ever finish a season with a perfect record with more than 10 decisions is Sandy Vance, who recorded an 11-0 mark in 1967.
Kyle Wilson (2-4) was the only Cal Poly player with more than one hit. Wilson also had 16 putouts defensively at first base.
Mustang starter Garrett Olson (5-3) took the loss, allowing six runs and seven hits over the first 3.2 innings.
Cal Poly made three errors in the contest, including two in a four-run Stanford sixth inning that led to three unearned runs.
Cal Poly started the game by getting its first two runners on base in the top of the first inning when Sam Herbert singled and Scott Anderson drew a walk before Adam Leavitt hit into a rally-killing triple play when he lined to first baseman John Mayberry, Jr. with the runners off on the pitch. Mayberry tagged first base and tossed to Swope at shortstop to complete Stanford's second triple play of the season.
Stanford started the scoring with three runs its half of the first. Fuld tripled to lead off the inning and scored on an RBI single by Hall before Garko hit his two-run blast well over the left field wall two batters later.
The Cardinal scored three more runs in the bottom of the third. Fuld was hit by a pitch to start the rally, stole second and moved to third on a throwing error by Mustang catcher Cory Taillon before scoring on a one-out RBI single by Garko. Putnam then followed with a single before Lowrie came through with a two-RBI single to plate Carlos Quentin and Garko.
Stanford increased its lead to 7-0 in the fourth when Garko led off with a single up the middle and scored on an RBI double by Putnam.
Stanford's four-run sixth started with Swope's solo homer well over the left field wall. A pair of Cal Poly errors on groundballs by Fuld and Jonny Ash to Leavitt at second base and Anderson at shortstop put Cardinal runners on first and third. Quentin followed with an RBI groundout to score Fuld before Garko's fourth hit of the day put runners on first and third. Putnam followed with an RBI double to score Ash and pinch-runner Donny Lucy came home on an RBI groundout from Lowrie.
Hester ended the day's scoring when he pinch-hit to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning and hit the first pitch from Mustang reliever Blake Knabenshue over the left field wall.
"Playing behind an All-American like Ryan Garko, I was thrilled just to have a chance to get in the game today," said Hester, who has just 12 at bats and a pair of hits in nine games during his rookie season. "I got a good pitch and hit it pretty well. I've been hitting the ball well in practice lately and was hoping that I could carry it over into a game. This feels like a stepping stone, and it feels good to be on the board."
"I put a good swing on it and hit it pretty well," said Swope about his first homer in 249 collegiate at bats spanning 113 games. "It wasn't something I was shooting for, but I've made a few changes in my swing over the last week. I've hit a few in practice before, but now I know I can do it in a game and hopefully I can carry that confidence over into the playoffs."
"It was nice for Tobin (Swope) to get his first career homer and John (Hester) should hit a lot of them before he's done playing for us," added Marquess.
Quentin had an 11-game hit streak end with an 0-for-3 performance.
Cal Poly left six runners on base, while the Cardinal stranded five.
Stanford improved to 23-10 at Sunken Diamond this season and 22-9 in non-conference games, as well as 42-5 all-time versus Cal Poly.