April 10, 2004
Updated Season Stats
Stanford Baseball Tickets
Corvallis, Ore. - No. 1 Stanford (25-5, 4-2 Pac-10) scored seven runs in the top of the first inning and homered a season-high-tying five times to take a 16-4 victory over Oregon State (19-11, 4-5 Pac-10) in the rubber game of a three-game series played Saturday before a near-capacity sun-splashed crowd of 1852, the largest at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field since a renovation of the facility in 1999. Donny Lucy (3-4, HR, 2 RBI), Brian Hall (3-5, HR, 3 RBI), Chris Carter (2-4, HR, 3 RBI), Danny Putnam (2-5, 2B, HR, season-high 4 RBI) and John Mayberry, Jr. (1-3, HR, 2 RBI) all homered for the Cardinal with Hall (15) and Mayberry (9) extending their respective hit streaks. Jonny Ash (4-6, RBI) also recorded a career-high-tying four hits.
"We were upset about yesterday's performance (a 5-4 loss) and wanted to get ahead by a lot early," said Hall, when asked about the team's seven-run outburst in the top of the first inning. "We were more focused today than we were in the first two games of the series and our hitters were really making a conscious effort to have good at bats each and every at bat."
Stanford moved back into first-place with the victory, one-half game ahead of both Arizona (4-3 Pac-10) and Washington (4-3 Pac-10). Four of the nine Pac-10 teams have even records (California 6-6, UCLA 3-3, USC 3-3, Washington State 3-3), while Oregon State (4-5) and Arizona State (3-6) are the only teams under the .500 mark in conference play.
"The Pac-10 is as strong as it has been from top to bottom," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "There is no really strong favorite, so every win you can get in league is very important."
Jeff Stimpson (1-1) earned his first collegiate victory by striking out a career-high six batters in 2.2 hitless frames.
"It feels good to get the win, but it wasn't really on my mind," said Simpson. "I just wanted to keep throwing strikes and getting outs to protect the big lead that we had."
"Jeff Stimpson has really done a good job for us out of the bullpen," said Marquess about his freshman right-handed reliever that lowered his season ERA to 0.54 with just one earned run allowed in his first 16.2 collegiate innings. "He gets better each time he goes to the mound."
The Cardinal has now won all nine of its series this season, extended its series win streak to 13 dating back to last year and has won 21 of its last 22 series overall. The 2004 Cardinal also becomes just the fourth team in school history to reach the 25-win mark after its first 30 contests.
"Today we came out and knew we had to win," said Hall. "To win the Pac-10, you have to win just about every series. Last night's loss proved to us that we do need to play our best and be focused every game."
Stanford starter Jeff Gilmore (4.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) was effective in a no-decision outing. Gilmore allowed three runs before he could record an out in the first inning before giving up just one run and three hits from that point on.
Oregon State starter Dallas Buck (1-3) gave up nine runs (seven earned) and eight hits with two walks in 1.2 innings to take the loss.
Stanford scored in double digits for the 14th time this season and outhit the Beavers, 17-8, to record its 23rd double-digit hit game of the campaign and its sixth in a row.
Chris Campos (3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) homered twice and drove in four runs for Oregon State, while Aaron Mathews (2-5, 2B) also had a two-hit game.
Stanford scored three of its seven first inning runs on a bases-clearing three-run double by Putnam before the Beavers could record an out. Sam Fuld and Ash started the rally with back-to-back singles before Jed Lowrie walked to load the bases for Putnam. Mayberry then drew a walk and Lucy moved the runners to second and third base with a sacrifice bunt. Hall followed with an RBI single to score Putnam and Carter capped the rally with a mammoth three-run homer that hit near the top of a 50-foot tree beyond the fence in rightcenter field and was estimated at 500 feet.
"I got it all," smiled Carter about his long home run. "That was about as hard as I can hit a ball."
"I've always felt that home runs are contagious," he added about the team's five homers. "When you see your teammates hit one out it makes you more confident."
Oregon State answered with three runs in the bottom of the first on a three-run homer by Campos that followed a leadoff single by Lissman and a double from Mathews.
Stanford came back with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Ash and Lowrie led off the inning with back-to-back singles before Beaver shortstop Chad Schroeder made a critical throwing error on a potential double play ball hit by Putnam that loaded the bases. Buck did get Mayberry to hit into a 4-6-3 double play but Ash scored the first run of the inning on the play and Lucy followed with an RBI single to plate Lowrie and chase Buck. Oregon State reliever Kyle Aselton (2.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 SO) came on to retire Hall on a groundout to Shea McFeeley at third base to limit the damage.
The Cardinal added another unearned run in the third when Fuld reached on Schroeder's second error of the game with two outs, stole second base and scored on an RBI single by Ash.
Stanford increased its lead to 12-3 with two more runs in the fifth on a two-run homer by Hall after Lucy had led off the inning with a single.
Oregon State got a run back in the fifth on Campos' second homer of the game, a one-out solo shot off the right field foul pole that chased Gilmore.
A one-out solo homer by Putnam over the center field wall in the top of the sixth increased Stanford's lead to 13-4.
Stanford scored the final three runs of the game in the top of the eighth when Mayberry hit a two-run homer and Lucy followed with a solo shot. Putnam also scored on Mayberry's team-high-tying ninth homer after leading off the inning with a walk.
Oregon State left 10 runners on base, while the Cardinal stranded six. Oregon State made three costly errors that led to three unearned runs, while the Cardinal made two errors but did not give up an unearned run. The Beavers turned the only double play of the game.
Fuld moved to within two runs of Stanford's all-time lead in runs scored (242) and continued to climb several other Stanford career lists, ranking third in hits (323) and at bats (948), tied for third in triples (16), tied for sixth in doubles (58) and tied for seventh in games played (230).
Stanford has now won 28 of its last 32 true road games and has a 48-9 record in its last 57 contests dating back to last season.
Stanford has also been victorious by three or more runs 21 times this season as the team has more than doubled the run output of its opponents (271-134).
The Cardinal next returns to Sunken Diamond for a six-game homestand that begins with a non-conference contest versus Santa Clara on Tuesday, April 13 (6 pm, PT), before continuing with a three-game Pac-10 home series against California (Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, 6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT), as well as single contests versus Saint Mary's (Tuesday, April 20, 6 pm, PT) and Sacramento State (Friday, April 23, 6 pm, PT) the following week. The first game of the California series will be televised on a tape-delayed basis by Fox Sports Net and shown on Saturday, April 17 (3 pm, PT).
Tickets are available for all 2004 regular season Stanford Baseball home games online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD.