May 2, 2004
at
No. 2 Stanford (34-6, 9-2)
Friday, April 30
at Stanford 8, Washington State 3
Saturday, May 1
at Stanford 13, Washington State 11
Sunday, May 2, 12 pm
LHP Garrett Alwert (4-1, 4.56) vs. RHP Greg Reynolds (2-0, 5.02)
MEDIA COVERAGE
Gametracker: Sunday
Live Audio: gostanford.com ... Sam Stefanki and Mike Etchepare will be on the microphones ... A Gametracker with live stats will also be available from a link at gostanford.com.
QUICK TEAM NOTES
First-place Stanford (9-2 Pac-10) will go for its sixth sweep of the season Sunday versus Washington State after winning the first two games of the series, 8-3 and 13-11 ... Stanford leads the Pac-10 standings by 1.5 games over second-place Washington (9-5 Pac-10) ... The 2004 Stanford team is only the second club in 111 seasons of baseball on The Farm to win at least 34 of its first 60 games ... Only the 1967 club (34-5-1) posted a better record after 40 games ... Stanford is the No. 2 team in the latest of all four major college baseball national polls released on Monday, April 26 (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA and Sports Weekly/ESPN) for the third consecutive week ... Stanford spent two weeks (March 22 - 29) as the nation's unanimous No. 1 team and seven weeks (February 23 - April 5) as the No. 1 team in the Baseball America poll ... The Cardinal has won all 11 of its regular season three-game series this year, 15 in a row overall and 23 of its last 24 dating back to last season (the Cardinal did split a two-game series with Sacramento during the span from April 23-24, 2004) ... Stanford has swept five of its 10 regular season three-game series this season and eight during its current 14-series win streak ... Stanford has won a season-best 12 games in a row at home, has a 19-1 home mark this season and has won 28 of its last 29 at Sunken Diamond including a nine-game home win streak to end last season that turned into a 16-game streak when the Cardinal won its first seven games at Sunken Diamond this season ... Stanford is scheduled to play 10 of its final 16 regular season games at home, including its last seven in a row ... Stanford has also won 29 of its last 34 true road games despite a 3-3 mark in its last six and is 15-5 away from Sunken Diamond this season ... All told, the Cardinal has a 57-10 record in its last 67 games dating back to May 5, 2003 ... Stanford has come from behind in 15 of its 34 wins this year and is 5-6 when either tied (2-1) or trailing (3-5) heading into the ninth inning ... Stanford is 5-1 this season against ranked teams and 2-0 in extra-inning contests ... Stanford has been errorless in 16 of its first 40 games ... Stanford has more than doubled its opponents scoring (366-176) as 29 of its 34 wins have been by three or more runs and the Cardinal is a perfect 19-0 in games decided by five or more runs ... Stanford's last three losses have been by one run as the Cardinal is 2-3 in one-run games ... All six of Stanford's losses have been by three runs or less ... Stanford is leading the Pac-10 in all three major team categories with a .332 batting average, a 3.98 ERA and a .975 fielding percentage ... Offensively, Stanford is averaging 9.1 runs per contest and has posted double-digit runs 18 times this year ... The Cardinal has also reached double digits in hits on 32 occasions, including 15 of its last 16 contests ... Stanford has hit 63 homers and has a legitimate chance to break the school record of 102 hit by the 1997 club ... Stanford is looking to extend its school record string of consecutive appearances at the College World Series to six, as well as its string of 40-win seasons to 10 ... Stanford has also won 50 or more games in three of the last four seasons ... Stanford has captured 11 Pac-10 titles in the last 21 years and finished either first or second in the conference 21 times in last 23 seasons.
QUICK INDIVIDUAL NOTES
National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie leads the Cardinal in nearly every offensive category - batting average (.406), hits (63, co-leader), runs scored (55), doubles (12), triples (4), homers (14), RBI (54), extra-base hits (30), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.806), bases on balls (33), on-base percentage (.508), sacrifice flies (5, co-leader), multiple-hit games (20) and multiple-RBI games (16) ... Brian Hall, who has hit safely in 24 of his last 25 games and is batting .636 (28-44) in 11 Pac-10 games, is second on the club overall with a .394 batting average ... Hall, who is 8-for-8 with three sacrifice flies in his last 11 plate appearances, also leads the team with 10 stolen bases and 63 hits (co-leader), while adding 10 doubles, eight homers and 43 RBI (third on the club) ... Jonny Ash ranks third in batting average (.374) and tied fourth in hits (52) ... Danny Putnam ranks tied for second on the club in homers (10), fourth in batting average (.367) and fourth in RBI (40) ... Donny Lucy is fifth on the team with a .354 batting average, while contributing nine homers and 34 RBI ... John Mayberry, Jr. is sixth on the club with a .347 batting average, as well as second in homers (10, tied with Putnam), RBI (44) and stolen bases (7) ... Ryan Seawell (.313) is also hitting over .300, while Chris Carter (.294, 4 HR, 26 RBI, 1 SB) is knocking on the door ... Sam Fuld (.266, 1 HR, 20 RBI, 4 SB), who is in a current 0-for-19 skid, is Stanford's all-time leader for runs scored with 253, while ranking second on Stanford's all-time hit (333) and at bat (991) lists ... Fuld, who is 35 hits behind all-time Stanford and Pac-10 leader John Gall (368, 1997-2000), also ranks among Stanford's career leaders in triples (16, #3T), doubles (58, #6T) and games played (240, #7) ... Mark Romanczuk (9-1) leads the team and co-leads the Pac-10 with nine wins and is ranked fourth on Stanford's all-time won-loss percentage list (21-3, .870), while David O'Hagan is 5-0 with a team-high four saves and a team-low 2.00 ERA ... Lowrie and Mayberry were among the initial group of 19 players invited to the 2004 USA Baseball National Team Trials.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Stanford has won 19 consecutive games against Washington State after winning the first two games of the current series between the clubs. The Cardinal opened the series with an 8-3 victory on Friday night before holding the Cougars off in a 13-11 win Saturday. The Cardinal has won all 17 games between the clubs since the teams began playing again on a regular basis when the Pac-10 welcomed the Northern schools (Oregon State, Washington, Washington State) into the current nine-team alignment of the league in 1999. Last year, Stanford swept Cougars in Pullman (April 4-5, April 7). The Cardinal won the opener, 6-1, before a 12-5 victory in the middle game of the series. The final game was delayed a day by snow before the Cardinal rallied for an 8-5 win in 11 innings. Stanford also swept the Cougars the last time the teams played at Sunken Diamond (May 24-26, 2003) with victories of 10-0, 11-3 and 8-2. The last Washington State victory in the series came with a 6-3 victory over the Cardinal at the UC Riverside Invitational on March 28, 1978. Stanford leads the all-time series, 25-13.
2004 VERSUS WASHINGTON STATE
at Stanford 8, Washington State 3 (April 30, 2004) - Stanford won its 11th straight game at home and its 18th in a row over Washington State with an 8-3 victory over the Cougars. Mark Romanczuk picked up his Pac-10 leading ninth victory of the season, allowing just three runs on seven hits and three walks with three strikeouts over the first 7.0 innings. Brian Hall (4-4, HR, 3 RBI) posted his seventh career four-hit game and continued his torrid hitting (.600, 24-40, 4 HR, 14 RBI) over his first 10 Pac-10 games. Donny Lucy (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) added a homer and three RBI, while Danny Putnam (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI) and Jed Lowrie (2-3) also had two-hit games for the Cardinal with Lucy (15) and Putnam (12) extending their career-high hit streaks. Washington State starter Aaron MacKenzie (5.0 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) took the loss. Zach McAngus (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) led the Cougars' offense, while Grant Richardson and Jason Freeman were both 2-for-4.
at Stanford 13, Washington State 11 (May 1, 2004) - Stanford held off a late rally by Washington State for a 13-11 victory over the Cougars. Brian Hall (4-4, 2 RBI) tied a career-high for hits by posting his second consecutive 4-for-4 contest in the series, while Chris Carter (3-4, 4 RBI) tied career-highs with three hits and four RBI and Chris Minaker hit the first grandslam of his career. Jeff Gilmore picked up the victory on the mound, scattering five runs (four earned) on nine hits and one walk with four strikeouts over the first 5.2 innings. National Player of the Year candidate Jed Lowrie (2-4, HR, RBI) hit his Pac-10 leading 14th homer and increased his league-best RBI total to 54. Jim Rapoport (2-5) also had a pair of hits, while Matt Manship (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO) earned the save. Justin Hart (4-5, 2B, 2 RBI) had four hits for the Cougars. Washington State starter Aaron Trolia (4.0 IP, 8 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 5 BB) took the loss.
2003 VERSUS WASHINGTON STATE
Stanford 6, at Washington State 1 (April 4, 2003) - John Hudgins a complete game to lead Stanford to a 6-1 victory over Washington State, allowing just one run and seven hits with six strikeouts in a game that lasted just a season-low 2:01. Jonny Ash (2-3, 2 RBI) was the only Stanford player with more than one hit, while Jed Lowrie added a pair of RBI. Stanford had just seven hits, snapping a string of 12 consecutive games with double-digit in hits.
Stanford 12, at Washington State 5 (April 5, 2003) - Ryan Garko blasted a pair of two-run homers and drove in four runs, while Carlos Quentin (4-5, 2B, 3 RBI) had four hits and three RBI to lead Stanford to a 12-5 victory over Washington State. Matt Manship picked up his first collegiate victory, allowing only one run and one hit with four strikeouts in 4.2 innings of relief. Brian Hall (2-5, 3B, RBI), Danny Putnam (2-5, RBI), Tobin Swope (2-5, RBI) and Sam Fuld (2-5) each added two of Stanford's 17 hits. Wes Falkenborg (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Justin Hart (2-4, HR, RBI) and Jay Miller (2-5) had two hits each for the Cougars.
Stanford 8, at Washington State 5 - 11 Innings (April 7, 2003) - One day after being snowed out, Stanford outlasted Washington State by a score of 8-5 in 11 innings to complete a three-game sweep. Sam Fuld's two-out RBI single in the top of the 11th scored Tobin Swope with the winning run and sparked a three-run Cardinal rally. Stanford tied the game with a pair of runs in the ninth on a leadoff solo homer by Danny Putnam and a two-out RBI single from Jonny Ash. Brian Hall (4-5, 2 2B, 2 SB, RBI) had a four-hit game, while David O'Hagan (3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) earned the victory.
THIS WEEK
Stanford 12, at Santa Clara 8 (April 27, 2004) - Stanford scored four runs in the top of the 14th inning for a 128 victory over Santa Clara in a 14-inning non-conference marathon that lasted a season-long five hours and 18 minutes. Jed Lowrie (4-8, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and Danny Putnam (4-6, 2B) both collected their first four-hit games of the season and the second of their careers to lead Stanford's 16-hit offensive attack. Drew Ehrlich earned the victory as the eighth and final Stanford pitcher, holding the Broncos scoreless on a hit and a walk with two strikeouts over the final 1.2 innings. The teams combined to use 46 players and 15 pitchers in a game that was delayed eight minutes when an infield sprinkler came on with the bases loaded and no outs in the top of the 14th inning. Will Thompson (2-6, 2 HR, 4 RBI) homered twice and drove in four runs for the Broncos, while Nic Crosta (2-6, HR, RBI) also went deep. Patrick McBride, the sixth of seven Santa Clara pitchers, took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) and three hits with a strikeout over 1.0 innings of relief. The teams combined to strike out 28 times.
LAST WEEK
at Stanford 10, Saint Mary's 5 (April 20, 2004) - Stanford reached the 30-win mark after its first 35 games for only the second time in 111 years of baseball on The Farm with a 10-5 victory over Saint Mary's. Greg Reynolds earned the win in his first collegiate start, striking out four while scattering two runs and five over the first 5.0 innings. Chris Lewis (2-2, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) hit his first homer and drove in a pair of runs, while Chris Minaker (3-5, 2B, 2 RBI) and Sam Fuld (3-6, RBI) had three hits each as all nine Stanford starters contributed at least one hit in the Cardinal's season-high-tying 18-hit attack. The victory was Stanford's 19th in a row over Saint Mary's dating back to the last Gael win in the all-time series by a score of 1-0 at Sunken Diamond on February 1, 1994.
at Stanford 15, Sacramento State 1 (April 23, 2003) - Stanford pounded out a season-high 21 hits and Mark Romanczuk (season-high-tying 8.0 innings, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) picked up his eighth win of the season as the Cardinal ran its win streak to seven games with a 15-1 victory over Sacramento State. Brian Hall (3-6, 2 2B, RBI) extended his career-high hit streak to 21 games, while Donny Lucy (4-4, HR, 2 RBI) had the first four-hit game of his career and extended his career-high hit streak to 12. John Mayberry, Jr. (3-4, HR, 4 RBI) hit his 10th homer of the season and drove in a season-high-tying four runs, while Sam Fuld (2-5) and Danny Putnam (2-3, 3B, RBI) also extended their current hit streaks to a season-high 12 and nine games, respectively. Chris Carter (3-3, 2 2B, RBI) added his first three-hit game of the season, while Jed Lowrie (2-6, HR, RBI) hit his team and Pac-10 leading 12th homer and drove in his 50th run of the year.
at Sacramento State 2, Stanford 1 (April 24, 2004) - Sacramento State surprised Stanford with a 2-1 victory over the Cardinal to snap Stanford's seven-game win streak. Sacramento State scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Craig Johnson drove home Ronnie Machado, Jr. with a one-out RBI single through the right side of the infield to break a 1-1 tie. Sacramento State starter Ethan Katz tossed a complete-game four-hitter and allowed just one unearned run to pick up the victory, one day after the Cardinal pounded out a season-high 21 hits in a 15-1 victory over the same Hornets at Sunken Diamond. Stanford starter Jeff Gilmore (6.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) suffered the loss despite taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Stanford put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the ninth when Donny Lucy singled with one out and stole second base after two were out but Katz struck out Chris Minaker looking to end the contest. Katz struck out seven and walked four. He twice retired seven in a row. David O'Hagan had an excellent performance for the Cardinal as the only reliever for either team, striking out three in 2.0 hitless innings of work. The two hits were the least allowed by Stanford in a game this season. Stanford did steal a season-high five bases in the contest (Mayberry 2, Lowrie, Lucy, Putnam).