May 16, 2004
Updated Season Stats
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Tucson, Ariz. - John Hardy drew a bases loaded walk on a 3-2 pitch with no outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to bring home pinch-runner Terrence Taylor with the game-winning run and give Arizona (26-21-1, 8-9 Pac-10) an unbelievable 19-18 heartbreaking victory over No. 2 Stanford (39-9, 12-5 Pac-10) in a Pac-10 conference contest at Jerry Kindall Field. Richard Mercado had tied the game earlier in the bottom of the ninth with a bases loaded three-RBI double. Stanford had scored six runs in the top of the ninth to take an 18-15 lead as Jed Lowrie (6-6, 3 2B, HR, 5 RBI, SB) hit his first career grandslam with one out to put the Cardinal ahead. Lowrie's six-hit game was the first of his career, while his five RBI was a career-high and his three doubles tied a career-best.
The loss keeps first-place Stanford just percentage points ahead of second-place Washington (32-16-1, 14-7 Pac-10), a 10-8 loser at USC on Sunday.
"That was the biggest rollercoaster game ever in my life," said Lowrie. "I can't even explain it. I'm still in shock."
Lowrie continues to lead the Pac-10 in home runs (16) and RBI (63) after Sunday's contest, while also raising his batting average to a team-high .410. His four extra-base hits in the contest marked the 10th time this season he has had two or extra-base hits in game as he increased his season total to 38.
"Obviously this was a tough loss," continued Lowrie. "We just have to come back and refocus, put this one behind us and concentrate on getting a win tomorrow."
Stanford homered seven times in the game, one shy of its season-high, to increase its season total to 84 as the Cardinal draws closer to the school record of 102 set by the 1997 club. The Cardinal has had five or more homers in a game five times this season and has hit at least one long ball in 36 of its 48 contests. Stanford is averaging 9.0 runs per contest this season and is hitting .331, just six percentage points shy of the school record of .337 set by the 1981 club.
Chris Carter (2-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI) recorded the second two-homer game of his career, while John Mayberry, Jr. (3-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB), Danny Putnam (2-5, HR, 4 RBI), Donny Lucy (1-6, HR, 3 RBI) and Sam Fuld (1-5, HR, RBI, SB) also went deep. Four Stanford players - Lowrie, Putnam, Mayberry and Chris Minaker - scored three runs each.
Putnam's multiple-hit game marked the eighth consecutive contest in which he has had two or more hits and the 10th time in his last 11 games as he maintained his .398 batting average. Putnam leads the team with 27 multiple-hit games. Fuld also extended his hit streak to eight in a row.
Stanford's 18 runs tied a season-high previously set in an 18-4 win at Santa Clara on March 24 as the Cardinal recorded double-digits in runs for the 22nd time this season. Stanford also had 19 hits in the contest to give the Cardinal its 37th double-digit hit game of the campaign.
The 19 runs scored by the Wildcats were the most against the Cardinal by any team since Arizona beat Stanford by a score of 21-11 in Tucson on May 4, 1991. The 23 hits allowed by Stanford was the most the staff has given up this season.
Seven of Arizona's nine starters had multiple-hit games, led by four-hit contests from Trevor Crowe (4-4, 2 2B, 2 3B, 5 RBI), who also scored five runs, and Derek Decater (4-5, 2 2B, 4 RBI, SB). Moises Duran (3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI), Jason Donald (3-6, RBI) and Jeff Van Houten (3-6, 2 RBI) had three hits each for the Wildcats. John Hardy (2-6, HR, 4 RBI) hit Arizona's only home run, while Jordan Brown also had a pair of hits and Mercado (1-3, 2B, 3 RBI) drove in three runs with his ninth inning double.
All 19 players that had at least one official at bat in the game had at least one hit as the teams combined for 37 runs on 42 hits, while drawing 12 walks and being hit by a pair of pitches.
Duran started Arizona's ninth inning comeback off losing pitcher David O'Hagan (5-1) with a leadoff double before Bill Rhinehart was hit by a pitch and Donald singled to load the bases with no outs. Mercado followed with his bases clearing three-run double to tie the game. O'Hagan then intentionally walked Chris Free before a sacrifice bunt attempt by Decater turned into a base hit when it stayed fair just inside the third base line, setting up Hardy's game-winning walk.
Stanford had trailed 15-12 before scoring six runs in the top of the ninth. Carter started the Cardinal ninth with his second homer of the night and his fifth of the season, a one-out solo shot off the scoreboard behind the right field fence. Jim Rapoport then came through with a pinch-hit single and Fuld walked before the runners executed a double steal to move to second and third before Minaker walked to load the bases for Lowrie's dramatic shot over the rightcenter field fence. The Cardinal added its sixth run in the inning when Mayberry singled, stole second and scored when Donald threw away Lucy's groundball to the Arizona shortstop.
The game had been tied before Arizona scored three times in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a short-lived 15-12 advantage. Donald started the inning with a leadoff single off Stimpson before the Cardinal brought in Manship. Mercado laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Donald to second before the Cardinal intentionally walked Crowe after he had four hits in his first at bats. Decater made Stanford pay when he laced a two-RBI double down the left field line to score both runners and Van Houten came through with a two-out RBI single two batters later to score Decater.
O'Hagan suffered his first loss of the season without recording an out in the ninth inning, while allowing four runs on four hits, two walks (one intentional) and a hit batsmen in seven batters faced. Jeff Gilmore (3.0, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) started the game for the Cardinal and was the first of six Stanford pitchers. Kodiak Quick (3.0 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, career-high 5 SO), Jeff Stimpson (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB), Matt Manship (0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) and Mark Jecmen (0.1 IP) also pitched for Stanford.
Arizona reliever Derek Rodriguez (1-2) got credit for his first win of the season despite blowing a save in the top of the ninth by allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits and two walks. Wildcat starter Kevin Guyette gave up nine runs on 10 hits and a walk with two strikeouts over the first 3.1 innings. Sean Jarrett (3.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) and Scott Burns (1.1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) also pitched for Arizona.
Arizona scored in eight of its nine offensive frames as the Wildcats made the first dent on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first inning on three consecutive singles. Hardy led off the game by beating out an infield hit, moved to third on a one-out single by Brown and scored on a clutch two-out RBI single from Rhinehart.
Mayberry hit his 13th homer of the year in the top of the second inning to put the Cardinal ahead to 2-1, a two-run shot that also scored Putnam, who had walked prior to lead off the inning.
Arizona tied the score at 2-2 with another single run in the second. Crowe tripled down the right field line with one out and scored when Decater followed with a line drive RBI single to center.
Both teams scored four runs in the third to keep the score tied, 6-6.
Lowrie started Stanford's third inning rally with a one-out double, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Putnam. Mayberry kept the rally going with another single and Lucy followed with a three-run homer, his 11th of the season.
Arizona scored four times after two were out in its half of the third. Duran had doubled with one out to start the rally and moved to third on a wild pitch but was at third base with two outs before Donald brought him home with an RBI single. Mercado then drew a walk and Crowe followed with a two-RBI double to score both runners before Decater doubled home Crowe to cap the rally.
Stanford came right back with three runs in the fourth, taking a 9-6 lead when Putnam hit a three-run opposite field homer down the left field line that scored Minaker and Lowrie, who had been hit by a pitch and singled with one out to start the rally.
Arizona responded with a single run in its half of the fourth. Van Houten led off with a single and Gilmore was removed from the game after throwing one ball to Brown, who eventually singled off Quick. Duran followed with an RBI single to score Van Houten before Quick struck out Rhinehart and Donald before forcing Mercado into a fielders choice to end the inning.
Stanford got the run back with Carter's solo homer to left field to lead off the fifth.
Arizona came back with a run in its half of the fifth when Crowe doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a two-out wild pitch and scored on an RBI infield single by Van Houten.
Arizona took the lead with a four-run seventh as Hardy's three-run homer capped the rally. Mercado walked to lead off the inning before Crowe tripled him home. Quick was removed from the game after walking Decater before Hardy greeted Stimpson with his three-run blast.
Stanford tied the game at 12-12 with a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. Fuld led off the inning with his third homer of the season over the right field wall that ended the performance of Burns. Minaker restarted the rally with a bloop single to right field and scored when Lowrie drove him in with his third double of the game over the head of Decater in center field. The Wildcats then intentionally walked Mayberry before Lucy grounded into the first and only double play of the series to end the Cardinal threat.
Arizona left 12 runners on base, while the Cardinal stranded nine.
Stanford did not commit an error in the game, marking the 19th time the Cardinal has played errorless baseball this season. Stanford maintained its .975 fielding percentage, which is just two percentage points shy of the school record .977 mark set by the 2001 club.
The game clocked in at four hours and 11 minutes, the third-longest contest of the year for the Cardinal.
Fuld's ninth inning home run that extended his hit streak to eight games also increased his career hit total to 343, while his five official at bats give him 1025 for his career. Fuld moved to within 25 hits and just two at bats of all-time Stanford and Pac-10 record holder John Gall (368 hits/1027 at bats, 1997-2000). Fuld is already Stanford's all-time leader for runs scored (258), while also ranking among the school's all-time leaders in triples (16, #3T), games played (248, #3T) and doubles (58, #6T). He has played in 241 consecutive Stanford games with 158 straight starts.
Stanford and Arizona will complete the three-game series with a rubber match on Sunday (12:30 pm, MST). Arizona has announced RHP John Meloan as its probable starter for Monday's series finale, while Stanford has not announced a probable starter.
Stanford needs a victory to maintain first-place in the Pac-10 and avoid losing back-to-back series for the first since being swept at Cal State Fullerton (1/31 - 2/2/03) and dropping two-of-three at home to Florida State (2/7-2/9/03) in its first two three-game series last season. The Cardinal also will extend its school record string of consecutive 40-win campaigns to 10 with its next victory.
The Cardinal will return home for four home games next week, hosting San Francisco in its final regular season non-conference game of the season on Tuesday, May 18 (6 pm, PDT) before welcoming USC for a three-game Pac-10 series Friday-Sunday, May 21-23 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PDT). The Cardinal will finish its 2004 regular season by hosting Arizona in a three-game conference series Friday-Sunday, May 28-30 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm). Stanford will host its annual Youth Baseball Day on Sunday versus the Trojans, while the Sixth Annual Town & Country Village Fireworks Show will take place after the series-opener against Arizona State.
Tickets are available for all 2004 regular season Stanford Baseball home games online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD.