Feb. 7, 2004
Fresno, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford (4-1) hit a season-high five homers in a 13-4 victory over Fresno State (1-1) on Saturday to even a three-game non-conference series at Beiden Field. John Mayberry, Jr. (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) registered the first two-homer game of his career, while Jed Lowrie (2-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) homered and drove in a career-high four runs. Danny Putnam (3-5, HR, 2 RBI) and Chris Carter (2-2, HR, 2 RBI) also went deep for the Cardinal. Jeff Gilmore (1-0) earned his first career victory by holding the Bulldogs to three runs (two earned) and six hits over a career-high 6.0 innings with a career-high eight strikeouts in his first collegiate start. Blake Holler picked up his second save in as many outings, limiting Fresno State to a run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts over the final 3.0 frames.
"This was our best offensive performance of the season," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess about his team that had a season-high 14 hits one day after being held to only two hits, its lowest total since June 4, 1999, in a series-opening 3-1 loss to the Bulldogs on Friday. "The conditions were good for hitters today and once we got a couple (home runs), we relaxed and swung the bats better. Hopefully, we can build on this."
"Today was a really important day for us," added Mayberry. "We wanted to go out and show what type of offensive team we are."
Fresno State starter Matt Garza (0-1), the first of six Bulldog pitchers, took the loss as he allowed six runs and seven hits over the first 3.0 innings.
Kent Sakamoto (2-5, 2 RBI), Richie Robnett (2-5, 2B) and Kyle Wilson (2-5, 2B) had two hits each for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State scored an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning to take an early 1-0 lead when Christian Vitters singled with one out, moved to second base on a passed ball charged to Cardinal catcher Donny Lucy and third on an infield single by Chris Patrick, before scoring on an RBI groundout by Nick Moresi.
Stanford answered with six runs in the top of the third inning, tying its most productive frame of the season. Lucy started the rally with a single to center before Fuld walked with one out to set up an RBI double by Jonny Ash that scored Lucy to tie the score at 1-1. Lowrie followed with a towering three-run shot over the fence in rightcenter field that put the Cardinal ahead, 4-1. Putnam then singled to restart the rally and Carter blasted a two-run opposite field homer over the left field wall two batters later to give Stanford a 6-1 advantage.
"I got the ball up and the wind took it out," said a halfway joking Lowrie, who hit his second homer in the last three games after having not gone deep during his entire freshman season.
Eddie Romero relieved Garza to begin the fourth and was greeted by Adam Sorgi with a leadoff single. Fuld then walked for the second consecutive at bat before Ash moved the runners to second and third base with a sacrifice bunt and Lowrie drove home Sorgi with a sacrifice fly to center field.
Mayberry hit his first home run of the game just inside the foul pole down the left field line to lead off the top of the fifth. Romero then walked Carter and gave up an infield single to Brian Hall before being removed in favor of Toby Girazian. Lucy moved the runners up to second and third with a sacrifice bunt before Carter scored on Sorgi's RBI groundout to second base, giving the Cardinal a 9-1 lead.
Gilmore had retired eight in a row before Fresno State managed a pair of runs off of him in the bottom of the fifth on a two-RBI single from Sakamoto, scoring Ryan Haag and Robnett, who had singed and doubled with one out to start a Fresno State rally. Gilmore quickly put the fire out by striking out Wilson and retiring Brandon Marcelli on a fly out to center field to end the threat.
"It was exciting," said Gilmore about his first collegiate start and victory. "I knew that everyone on this team was behind me and that if I threw my type of game, we would have a chance to win. I just wanted to throw ground balls and let hitters get themselves out."
Stanford added two more runs in the top of the sixth when Putnam and Mayberry hit back-to-back two-out solo homers, the first back-to-back homers by Cardinal players this season.
The Cardinal scored its final two runs in the top of the eighth. Ash drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a balk by Justin Strong and third on a double down the right field line by Lowrie, before scoring on an RBI groundout from Putnam. Mayberry drove in Lowrie for Stanford's final run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field.
Fresno State concluded the game's scoring with a run in the bottom of the eighth when Wilson doubled to lead off the inning and scored on a one-out RBI single from Tom Shannon.
Stanford has now won 15 of its last 16 road games overall, as well as five of its last six contests versus Fresno State. The Cardinal has also won 13 of its last 14 series.
Sam Fuld (1-3) had one hit on Saturday and now has 295 in his career as he continues to inch closer to becoming only the fourth player in Stanford Baseball history to record 300 career hits.
Stanford and Fresno State will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday (1:05 pm) with the Cardinal needing a win to extend its series win streak over the Bulldogs to five, dating back to the last time Fresno State won a series against Stanford by taking two-of-three at Sunken Diamond from January 29-31, 1999. Stanford has announced RHP Mark Jecmen (1-0, 1.80) as its starting pitcher, while Fresno State has not announced a starter.