April 10, 2005
Stanford, Calif. - No. 10 Stanford (19-11, 4-2 Pac-10) avoided a series sweep with a 4-3 victory over No. 16 Oregon State (26-5, 5-1 Pac-10) in the finale of a three-game Pac-10 set at Sunken Diamond on Sunday. Jed Lowrie's RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning scored Adam Sorgi with what proved to be the game-winning run. Stanford relievers Blake Holler and Matt Manship held the Beavers scoreless over the final 5.0 frames, allowing the Cardinal to come back from an early 3-1 deficit.
"It's hard to overcome a sweep," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "It's huge for us to be able to avoid that."
"I realized it was a big spot," said Lowrie about his game-winning hit. "But, I like being in that spot. There's going to be one point in almost every game that's going to be a make or break point, and obviously the more of those you win, the more games you are going to win.
"This was a game that we had to have, and we went out and got it," Lowrie added.
Holler (6-1) recorded his team-leading sixth victory by throwing 3.2 scoreless frames, giving up just two hits and two walks while striking out four. Manship got the Cardinal out of an eighth inning jam when he induced Tyler Graham into an inning-ending groundout after coming into the game with two outs and runners on first and second base. In the ninth, he retired the side in order and struck out a pair of batters to notch his first save of the season and the 13th of his Stanford career.
"After our performance yesterday, it was huge to be able to shut them down today," offered Holler.
John Hester (2-3, 2B) was the only Stanford player with more than one hit in the contest, while Lowrie drove in a pair of runs.
Darwin Barney (4-5, RBI) had a game-high four hits for Oregon State, who collected 12 hits to double Stanford's total of six. Geoff Wagner (2-5, HR, RBI) had the only homer of the game, while Jacoby Ellsbury (2-3, 2B, SB) also had a pair of hits for the Beavers.
Oregon State reliever Nate Fogle (3-2) took the loss, allowing Stanford's seventh inning run while giving up two hits and two walks over the final 2.0 frames.
After sweeping the Cardinal in a doubleheader to open the key Pac-10 series on Saturday, Oregon State struck first on Sunday with an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Ellsbury singled to lead off the game but was cut down at second base on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt by Graham. Wagner followed with a single and the runners moved to second and third on a throwing error by Cardinal rightfielder Michael Taylor on the play. Stanford starter Matt Leva (4.0 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) struck out Chris Campos for the second out before Barney drove in Graham with an RBI infield single deep in the hole between third base and shortstop.
The Cardinal responded with a run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1-1 when Sorgi led off with a single, moved all the way to third on a wild pitch by Oregon State starter Jonah Nickerson (6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 SO) and scored on a sacrifice fly from Lowrie.
Wagner gave the Beavers a 2-1 lead when he homered to lead off the top of the third and Oregon State added another run in the frame when Barney restarted the rally with a one-out infield single, moved to second on a ground rule double by Shea McFeely and scored on an RBI groundout from Mitch Canham.
Stanford took advantage of three Oregon State errors in the bottom of the fourth to score a pair of unearned runs and tie the game at 3-3. Hester started the uprising with a one-out single. Taylor then grounded to Barney on a Cardinal hit and run attempt but the Beaver shortstop made his first of two errors in the inning to leave Stanford runners on first and second. Rapoport followed with a single to load the bases before a crucial error by Beaver second baseman Ryan Gipson on a potential inning-ending double play ball hit by Chris Lewis brought home the first Cardinal run. Nickerson struck out pinch hitter Brendan Domaracki for the second out but Barney made a throwing error on a grounder by Sorgi that would have ended the inning, tying the score.
Both pitching staffs then kicked in for most of the remainder of the game with Stanford's well-executed seventh inning run the only score. Sorgi drew a walk from Fogle to start the frame before he was bunted to second by Chris Minaker and scored on Lowrie's game-winner into rightcenter.
Oregon State got the tying run to second base and the go-ahead run to first in the top of the eighth. Pinch hitter Cole Gillespie singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on Andy Jenkins' sacrifice bunt. Holler then struck out pinch hitter Lonnie Lechelt for the second out before the Cardinal decided to intentionally walk Ellsbury. Manship then came on to retire Graham.
"I didn't want Ellsbury to beat us," responded Marquess about his decision to put the go-ahead run on base by intentionally walking Oregon State's centerfielder, who was 7-for-12 with six RBI in the series.
Oregon State left 11 runners on in the contest, while Stanford stranded eight.
The teams combined to make seven errors with the Beavers committing a season-high five and the Cardinal two.
Stanford will conclude a five-game homestand with a non-conference game versus San Francisco (23-11) on Tuesday, April 12 (6:00 pm, PT). The Cardinal resumes Pac-10 action with a three-game set at No. 24 Arizona State (22-15, 3-3 Pac-10) next Friday-Sunday, April 15-17 (6:30 pm, 6:30 pm, 1:00 pm, MT).
STANFORD NOTES
Stanford's victory helped the Cardinal avoid its first sweep at Sunken Diamond since Arizona State won three straight on The Farm from April 11-13, 1997, a span that has now been extended to 59 consecutive home series
Despite winning Sunday's series finale, Stanford had its regular season home series win streak snapped at 14 and its Pac-10 home series win streak at five by dropping two-of-three to Oregon State
Jim Rapoport hit safely for the 15th time in his last 16 contests and extended his career-high hit streak to nine games, the longest by a Stanford player this season
Matt Manship (1.1 IP, 2 SO) recorded his 13th career save to move into a tie for sixth on Stanford's all-time list and has now not allowed a run in 11.1 innings over nine relief appearances this season
Blake Holler (3.2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 SO) won his team-leading sixth contest
Stanford is now 13-1 in games in which the Cardinal scores in the first inning and 13-3 when Stanford scores first