April 3, 2005
Pullman, Wash. - Two-time defending Pac-10 champion and No. 12 Stanford (17-9, 3-0 Pac-10) completed a three-game sweep at Washington State (15-17, 0-6 Pac-10) with an 8-6 victory over the Cougars in Sunday's finale of Stanford's first conference series of the campaign. A hard-hit two-out RBI infield single by John Mayberry, Jr. (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI) down the third base line scored Adam Sorgi with the go-ahead run and capped a two-run Cardinal top of the eighth to counter a Washington State three-run seventh that had given the Cougars a short-lived 6-5 advantage.
The sweep set up an early showdown between the only two remaining unbeaten Pac-10 teams when the Cardinal hosts No. 18 Oregon State (24-4, 3-0 Pac-10) at Sunken Diamond next Friday-Sunday, April 8-10 (6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT).
Jim Rapoport (4-5, 2B, SB) reached base in all five of his plate appearances and had the first four-hit game of his career, including an RBI single in the top of the ninth inning that plated Chris Lewis (2-5, 2 2B, RBI) with an insurance run. Jed Lowrie drove in three runs without a hit for the Cardinal, driving in two runs on sacrifice flies and one with an RBI groundout.
Blake Holler (5-0) remained unbeaten and earned his team-co-leading fifth win of the season by holding the Cougars scoreless over the final 2.1 frames despite giving up two hits, hitting two batters and walking another. Holler worked his way out of trouble in each of the last three innings. In the seventh, he recovered to record the final out and end a three-run Cougar rally after a dropped fly ball by Michael Taylor in right field had allowed the Cougars to take a 6-5 advantage one batter earlier. He gave up a leadoff single before hitting a batter and walking another later in the eighth inning but got himself out of the bases loaded jam. In the ninth, Washington State brought the potential game-winning run to the plate but Holler forced pinch-hitter Zach Franklin into a game-ending fielders choice.
Travis Webb (0-3), the third of five Washington State pitchers, took the loss by being charged with both runs in Stanford's eighth inning comeback rally.
Jay Miller (3-3, 2 RBI) and Jeff Miller (3-4, SB) had three hits each for the Cougars, while Jim Murphy (2-5, 2B, RBI) also had a multiple-hit game for Washington State.
Stanford scored single runs in each of the first four innings to take a 4-2 lead.
The Cardinal scored without the benefit of a hit in the first frame when Sorgi drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on the first of two balks by Cougar starter Nick Cebula (2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO) and third on a groundout by Lowrie before scoring on an RBI groundout from Mayberry.
In the second, Michael Taylor singled through the right side with one out before Chris Lewis brought him home with the first of his two doubles two batters later.
Stanford made it 3-0 in the third when Lowrie walked with one out and came all the way around to score on a hard-hit RBI double down the left field line from Mayberry.
Washington State cut the Stanford lead to 3-2 with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third. Matthew Thomas reached on the first error of the season by Chris Minaker when the Cardinal shortstop threw the ball away after fielding a routine groundball to get the rally going. Jason Freeman followed with a double two batters later to get the Cougars on the scoreboard and scored when Jay Miller followed with an RBI single.
The steady Stanford offense responded in the top of the fourth by scoring a single run for the fourth consecutive frame to increase its lead to 4-2. Rapoport doubled to lead off the inning, stole third base and scored on Lowrie's first sacrifice fly of the of the contest.
The Cougars came up with a run in the fifth to reduce the Cardinal lead to a single run again when Kaeo Rubin led off with a single up the middle, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Jay Miller's RBI single.
Stanford picked up another single run in the sixth to make the score 5-3 in favor of the Cardinal. With one out, Rapoport singled to start the rally before Sorgi drew his second walk of the contest and Minaker singled to load the bases. Lowrie then fouled out to a running Murphy deep behind the first base bag and a hustling Rapoport scooted home from third.
Stanford reliever Greg Reynolds (2.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 SO) got the first two outs of the inning before hitting Jay Miller to spark Washington State's three-run seventh. Brady Everett and Murphy followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to score Miller and then Everett with the game-tying run, while knocking Reynolds out of the contest. Holler got McAngus to hit a routine fly ball to Taylor but the Cardinal rightfielder dropped it, allowing Murphy to score the go-ahead run.
Stanford's two-run eighth inning comeback rally started with a one-out single by Rapoport. Sorgi then singled and stole second base to give the Cardinal runners at second and third. Minaker tied the game with an RBI groundout that scored Rapoport before Lowrie was intentionally walked to get to Mayberry.
Stanford will next be in action when the Cardinal hosts Santa Clara at Sunken Diamond in a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 5 (6 pm, PT).