Feb. 13, 2005
Stanford, Calif. - No. 6 Stanford (7-2) completed a three-game series sweep of Kansas (6-3) with a dramatic 7-6 victory over the Jayhawks in a non-conference series finale on Sunday. Adam Sorgi doubled home John Mayberry, Jr. with the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning after Kansas had tied the game by scoring five runs in the top half of the ninth. Sorgi (4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI) had a career-high four hits and the first two-double game of his career. Mayberry (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Jed Lowrie (3-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) both homered, while Michael Taylor (2-5, 3B) posted his first career two-hit game.
"I was just looking for a pitch that I could drive," said Sorgi about his game-winning double that a sprinting Kansas rightfielder A.J. VanSlyke was able to get a glove on in deep rightcenter field."That was a big hit by Adam Sorgi," added Stanford head coach Mark Marquess.
Matt Manship (1-0) picked up the victory as the fourth Stanford pitcher, getting the final two outs for the Cardinal in the top of the ninth inning to leave the bases full of Jayhawks.
Gus Milner (2-4, 2B, RBI), Ritchie Price (2-5, 2 RBI) and Matt Baty (2-5, RBI) had two hits each for Kansas, who outhit Stanford by a count of 12-11 but left 12 runners stranded. Stanford also left a season-high-tying 10 runners on base.
Kansas reliever Logan Murphy (0-1) took the loss, giving up Stanford's ninth inning run. Murphy walked three batters in his 1.1 inning appearance, including a key leadoff walk to Mayberry to start the Cardinal ninth.
"It was a hard-fought battle," said Mayberry about the 3-2 walk. "He pitched me carefully and really tried not to get anything over the plate. He competed well and just came up a little short in the end."
Stanford's Nolan Gallagher made his first career start in the contest, pitching 5.0 scoreless innings while scattering seven hits and a walk, and striking out five.
Stanford led 6-1 until the Jayhawks tied the game with their five-run ninth. Three consecutive hits to start the inning chased Stanford reliever Blake Holler (3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 SO). Pinch-hitter Travis Dunlap singled to open the frame before pinch-hitter Jake Kauzlarich followed with a double to put Kansas runners on second and third. Baty then singled home pinch-runner Derek Bailey for the first Jayhawk run of the inning. Erik Davis (0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB) came on to get the first out of the inning for the Cardinal before allowing an RBI single to Ritchie Price, uncorking a wild pitch to score Baty, and walking back-to-back batters to load the bases with the Cardinal holding on to a slim 6-4 advantage. The lead dwindled to 6-5 when Manship hit Milner before recording the second out of the inning on Ryne Price's popup to Stanford shortstop Chris Minaker. John Allman scored the tying run when pinch-hitter Andy Scholl drew a bases loaded walk on a close 3-2 pitch before Manship struck out Kauzlarich to end the rally.
"Hopefully, we can learn something from this," said Marquess about Kansas' ninth inning rally. "We weren't lacksadasical, but we just didn't perform in the top of the ninth inning. If they would have gotten another hit there, they could have easily won the game."
The contest was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when Lowrie blasted his team-leading fourth homer of the season to lead off the frame.
Stanford came up with four runs after two were out and none on in the fifth. Taylor started the rally with a triple that just got past the glove of a diving Milner down the right field line before scoring the first run of the frame on a wild pitch by Kansas starter Mike Zagurski (4.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO). John Hester walked to restart the rally and stole second before scoring when Lowrie grounded a ball through the middle that turned into an RBI double when no Kansas player covered second base. Mayberry then hit a line-drive two-run homer to finish the rally.
"I don't know if that was as far as I can hit one, but it was about as hard as I can," said Mayberry in response to a reporter's question. "I wasn't able to get a whole lot of elevation on it."
"This victory speaks to the character of our team," added Mayberry on responding to the Kansas comeback. "We never gave up even though things were kind of grim in the top of the ninth. It's a mark of a good team to be able to come back from something like that."
Kansas got on the board with an unearned run in the seventh inning. Baty came up with a one-out single to start the rally before Cardinal centerfielder Jim Rapoport dropped a fly ball to put Jayhawks on second and third. Baty scored on an RBI groundout by Ritchie Price.Stanford scored an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh when Lowrie singled, moved to second when Minaker reached on catchers' interference and scored on an RBI single by Sorgi.
Stanford has now won all six career meetings versus Kansas. The Cardinal also swept a three-game series from the Jayhawks at Sunken Diamond last year. The 2004 series finale ended in dramatic fashion as well when Brian Hall capped a seven-run Stanford bottom of the ninth with a walkoff grandslam.
Stanford next travels to unbeaten and No. 4 Texas (7-0) for a three-game non-conference series in Austin next Friday-Sunday, February 18-20 (2:30 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm, CT). The Longhorns were the College World Series runner-up in 2004.
NOTES
Stanford's current four-game win streak is a season-best
Stanford is 6-0 at home this season and has won 12 straight regular season home series, as well as 44 of its last 49 games at Sunken Diamond
Stanford improved to 6-0 all-time versus Kansas
Stanford head coach Mark Marquess now has 1197 career victories
Adam Sorgi's four hits and two doubles were both career-highs, while his two RBI tied a career-high
Michael Taylor posted the first two-hit game of his career
John Mayberry, Jr. extended his season-high hit streak to five games
Stanford's infield has made just one error in the team's first nine contests