March 23, 2004
Updated Season Stats
Stanford Baseball Tickets
Moraga, Calif. - No. 1 Stanford (16-3) returned from a 15-day break with a 7-3 victory over Saint Mary's (6-18) in a non-conference game at Louis Guisto Field on Tuesday. Danny Putnam (2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI), John Mayberry, Jr. (2-4, HR, RBI), Brian Hall (1-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Jed Lowrie (1-4, HR, RBI) all hit opposite field homers for the Cardinal, while Jonny Ash (3-5) and Adam Sorgi (2-4) added multiple-hit contests. Greg Reynolds (1-0) picked up the victory in his first collegiate appearance, scattering two runs (one earned) and five hits with two strikeouts over 3.0 innings of middle relief. The game lasted just 2:30 despite the teams combining for 27 hits as the Gaels outhit the Cardinal, 14-13.
"I was pleased with our performance and effort today," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We swung the bats well and hit the ball hard with four homers."Stanford extended its win streak versus the Gaels to 18 dating back to the last Saint Mary's victory in the series over 10 years ago when the Gaels were a 1-0 winner over the Cardinal at Sunken Diamond on February 1, 1994.
The Gaels' Michael Harris (4-4, SB) led all players with four hits, while Gilbert Gil (2-4, RBI), Sam Carter (2-4) and Mike Sansoe (2-4) had a pair of hits each.
Stanford has won 22 of its last 24 road games dating back to last season and is 8-2 in its first 10 road contests this year.
"I was pretty anxious to get out there today and get my feet wet in my first college game," said Reynolds. "I thought I did pretty well. I need a little fine tuning on a few of my mistakes but other than that, it was pretty good."
Stanford starter Blake Holler pitched 3.0 scoreless two-hit innings with four strikeouts, while Saint Mary's starter Dane Dobrinich (7.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 0 BB, 2 SO) pitched into the eighth inning before being removed in favor of reliever Parker Mangum (1.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 SO). Stanford's Jeff Stimpson gave up three hits in 1.0 innings of middle relief but did not allow a run, extending his scoreless string to start his collegiate career to 7.0 frames. David O'Hagan pitched the final 2.0 innings for the Cardinal, spreading out four hits and a walk to allow just one run.
Stanford struck first with a run in the top of the second when Putnam hit a towering fly ball that fell at the base of the fence down the left field line for a double to extend his team-high hit streak to seven games, moved to third on a single by Mayberry and scored on Donny Lucy's sacrifice fly.
Lowrie gave the Cardinal a 2-0 with a solo shot that easily cleared the leftcenter field fence.Bryan Byrne started a Gael rally in the bottom of the fourth when he hit Reynolds' first pitch down the left field line before scoring on a one-out RBI single by Delaney Gallagher two batters later.
Saint Mary's tied the score at 2-2 with another run in the bottom of the fifth. Harris singled with one out and moved all the way to third on the play when the ball rolled by Sam Fuld for an error on the Cardinal centerfielder. Harris then scored when Reynolds uncorked a wild pitch over Lucy's head behind the plate after Gael batter Mike Sansoe showed a possible squeeze attempt.
Mayberry broke the 2-2 tie when he led off the top of the seventh with an opposite field homer over the wall in rightcenter and Hall came up with a two-run line drive shot over the right field wall later in the inning that also scored Lucy, who had followed Mayberry with a single, stole second and moved to third when Stefan Foushee tossed the ball into centerfield on the play.
"We made an adjustment to hit the ball the other way," said Hall. "That was the key, because that's where all of our homers went. We take a lot of pride in hitting the ball up the middle and the other ways. We're starting to realize that we can hit with power the other way. On my home run, I was just trying to hit to the opposite field and get the ball in the air. Fortunately, it got out (of the ballpark)."
Stanford scored its final two runs of the game in the top of the eighth when Ash singled to lead off the inning and scored two batters later on Putnam's two-run blast.
Saint Mary's came back with a run in the bottom of the eighth on three consecutive two-out singles by Carter, Young and Gil.
The Gaels got the tying run into the on deck circle in the last half of the ninth when O'Hagan allowed a single to Sansoe and walked Byrne with one out before inducing Adam Bellows into a game-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Fuld continued his assault on Stanford's record books with five at bats to raise his career total to 899 and move one spot up to sixth on Stanford's all-time list in that category.
Saint Mary's stranded 10 runners, while the Cardinal left just four on base.
Stanford's 13-hit effort marked the 14th time this season that Stanford has posted a double-digit hit game, while it's four-run victory marked the 14th time the Cardinal has won a game by three or more runs this year.
Stanford continues a busy five-game week at Santa Clara on Wednesday, March 24 (6 pm, PT), before returning home to Sunken Diamond for the first time in nearly five weeks by hosting Cal Poly for a three-game non-conference set this Friday-Sunday, March 26-28 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT). Tickets are available for all 2004 regular season Stanford Baseball home games online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD.