Jan. 30, 2004
Stanford, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford (1-0) opened its 2004 season with a 16-3 victory over No. 4 Cal State Fullerton (0-1) before a crowd of 2103 on a chilly Friday evening at Sunken Diamond in a non-conference matchup of two teams that played in a College World Series bracket final in Omaha last season. The victory increased Stanford's home win streak to 10 games dating back to last season. Chris Carter (1-2, HR, 4 RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (2-5, HR, 2 RBI) both hit home runs for the Cardinal, while 2003 National Freshman of the Year Mark Romanczuk (1-0) picked up the victory by limiting the Titans to two runs and seven hits over the first 5.0 innings. Jonny Ash (1-4, 3B, 3 RBI) drove in three runs with a first-inning bases-loaded triple, while Sam Fuld (2-4, RBI) and Brian Hall (2-5, 3B, 2 RBI) added two hits each. Blake Holler earned a save in his first collegiate appearance, allowing just one run and five hits with four strikeouts over the final 3.0 innings.
Stanford scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning on only Ash's key three-RBI triple by taking advantage of seven walks and one hit batsmen by Cal State Fullerton pitchers. Titan starter Ryan Schreppel (0-1) was tagged with the loss, while only recording one out and being charged with six runs.
"They gave us a lot with those walks in the first inning, and we got a big hit by Jonny Ash to help us take advantage of it," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "They don't do that very often, but we'll take it."
Brett Pill (4-5, 3B, RBI) and Bobby Andrews (3-4, RBI) had multiple-hit games for the Titans, who left 14 runners on base.
Cal State Fullerton relievers Scott Sarver (4.0 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 SO) and Vinnie Pestano (3.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) pitched the final 7.2 innings in relief of Schreppel.
Stanford's Jeff Gilmore tossed a scoreless one-hit sixth inning between the stints of Romanczuk and Holler.
The Cardinal's first inning rally started when Schreppel walked the first four batters he faced to give the Cardinal its first run. Jed Lowrie was then hit by a pitch to force in another run and after one out Chris Carter walked with the bases loaded to make the score 3-0. Ash followed with a triple that he dribbled right down the first base line for the final three runs of the inning. Stanford would reload the bases again with only one out when Sarver walked the first two batters he faced before striking out Hall and forcing Mayberry into an inning-ending fielders choice.
Cal State Fullerton came back with two runs in the top of the second inning. Felipe Garcia singled to lead off the inning before he was tripled home by Phil, who scored two batters late on an RBI single from Neil Walton. Romanczuk got out of the jam when he retired Justin Turner on a line out to Hall in right field and struck out Ronnie Prettyman to leave runners stranded on second and third base.
Stanford got both runs back without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the second inning. Lowrie walked with one out and moved to second on a groundout by Donny Lucy before Carter drew a walk to put runners on first and second base with two outs. Ash followed with a fly ball to center field that Titan centerfielder Joe Turgeon ran underneath before dropping for a two-base error that allowed both Lowrie and Carter to score.
The Cardinal put the game away with a five-run fifth inning. Fuld led off the inning with an infield single before being forced out at second base on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Hall. Mayberry followed with Stanford's first home run of the season, a long shot over the left field wall on a hanging curve ball from Sarver. Danny Putnam and Lowrie followed Mayberry's homer with back-to-back singles to chase Sarver and Carter hit his three-run homer two batters later off reliever Vinnie Pestano.
The Titans scored a run in the top of the seventh when Phil doubled off Holler with two outs and scored when Andrews followed with an RBI single.
Stanford added its final three runs in the bottom of the eighth when Pestano hit Lucy and Ash to put runners on first and second base with one outs. After striking out Chris Lewis, Pestano was touched by Fuld for an RBI single before Hall completed Stanford's scoring for the evening with a two-RBI triple off the glove of a sprinting Turgeon in deep rightcenter field.
The victory was Stanford's third in a row over Cal State Fullerton after the Cardinal snapped a four-game losing streak to the Titans with a pair of victories at last year's College World Series.
Stanford and Cal State Fullerton are scheduled to continue their current series Saturday and Sunday with the first pitch scheduled both days at 1:00 pm. Saturday's probable pitchers are Stanford right-hander Matt Manship versus Cal State Fullerton southpaw Ricky Romero.