May 3, 2005
Reno, Nev. - No. 24 Stanford (26-15) scored its largest win of the season with a 13-0 victory at Nevada (20-21) in a non-conference game on Tuesday at Peccole Park. Four Stanford pitchers - Matt Leva, Nolan Gallagher, Blake Holler and Matt Manship - combined on the second Cardinal shutout in as many days as Stanford recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 1996. Leva (3-1) was credited with the victory as the first Stanford pitcher in a predetermined rotation of three or more pitchers, holding the WolfPack scoreless on just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts over the first 3.0 frames.
"We had another great pitching performance today," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We didn't give them very much and were ahead in the count a lot.
Adam Sorgi drove in a career-high four runs, while John Hester (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) and Chris Minaker (2-5, HR, 3 RBI) both homered and drove in three runs to lead the Cardinal offense. John Mayberry, Jr. (2-3, 2 2B, RBI) and Jed Lowrie (2-5, 2B, 2 RBI) added two hits each for the Cardinal.
Gallagher shut the Wolfpack out in the fourth and fifth frames, giving up just one hit and one walk with a strikeout. Holler gave up two hits and struck out two in his 2.2 innings of work, while Manship retired all four batters he faced with a pair of strikeouts.
"To put up back-to-back shutouts is not bad," said Hester. "We're pitching with a lot of confidence right now."
The victory was the sixth in the last seven contests and the second in a row to start a season-long six-game road trip for the Cardinal, while Nevada lost its fourth in a row and eighth in its last nine outings.
"It's very encouraging that we're playing really well right now," said Hester. "We're not on top in the Pac-10 race right now, but we're in the midst of it."
Eric Newman (2-3) had half of Nevada's four hits.
Nevada starter Chris Scott (4-1) took the loss as the first of eight Nevada pitchers, giving up the first three Stanford runs on three hits and three walks with one strikeout over the first 2.0 innings.
Stanford started the scoring with a run in the top of the first inning when Jim Rapoport walked to lead off the game, moved to second on a groundball by Sorgi and scored on a RBI double from Lowrie.
The Cardinal increased its lead to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the second when Sorgi came through with a clutch two-out bases loaded two-RBI single. Minaker started the rally with a one-out single before a pair of back-to-back two-out walks to Chris Lewis and Rapoport loaded the bases for Sorgi.
Stanford picked up an unearned in the fifth without a hit when Rapoport reached with one out on a three-base error by Jacob Butler when the Nevada centerfielder failed to catch Rapoport's fly ball that landed a few steps behind him. Sorgi then followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Rapoport.
The Cardinal blew the game open with five more runs in the seventh to take a 9-0 advantage. Pinch-hitter Ryan Seawell started the rally with a walk and Lewis singled before Rapoport moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Sorgi's second sacrifice fly of the contest brought Seawell home with the first run of the inning. Lowrie followed with an RBI single to score Lewis before Mayberry doubled home Lowrie and Hester capped the rally with a two-run homer over the left field wall.
"Our bats have kind of come alive recently," said Hester. "We're starting to just swing the bats a lot better and for more power lately."
Stanford closed out the scoring with four more runs in the top of the ninth inning. Sorgi led off with a walk, Mayberry was hit by a pitch two batters later and Hester brought home Sorgi with the first run of the frame on a bouncing RBI single over the head of Nevada third baseman Eric Newman. Two batters later, Minaker blasted a three-run homer over the left field fence to put Stanford's final runs on the scoreboard.
Stanford continues its road trip by resuming Pac-10 action at California (29-20, 9-9 Pac-10) this Friday-Sunday, May 6-8 (2:30, 1, 1 pm, PT). The Cardinal will conclude its season-long six-game swing away from Sunken Diamond at Santa Clara on Tuesday, May 10 (6 pm, PT). Stanford next returns home for a three-game Pac-10 series against UCLA from Friday-Sunday, May 13-15 (6, 1, 1 pm, PT).
STANFORD NOTES
Stanford has won six of its last seven games overall and two in a row on the road, evening its record away from Sunken Diamond this season at 8-8
Stanford's pitching staff tossed its second consecutive shutout, marking the first time Stanford has posted back-to-back shutouts since blanking San Jose State (11-0) and UCLA (4-0) at Sunken Diamond on April 23 and 26, 1996
Stanford's pitching staff has now tossed 19 consecutive scoreless innings
Stanford's shutout was its fourth of the season
Stanford's pitching staff has allowed just seven hits during its back-to-back shutouts
Stanford's pitching staff has lowered its ERA to 3.95 with the 19 consecutive scoreless innings to mark the first time the team's ERA has been under 4.00 since it stood at 3.98 after Stanford's game on April 15 at Arizona State ... Stanford has finished the season with an ERA under 4.00 four times in the past six campaigns
Stanford made one error on Tuesday to maintain a .979 fielding percentage that leads the nation and is .002 points higher than the school record .977 fielding percentage posted by the 2001 club
Stanford posted 11 hits on Tuesday and now has 10 or more hits in its six of its last eight contests
Stanford's 13-run margin of victory was its largest of the season
Adam Sorgi extended his career-high hit streak to eight games, drove in a career-high four runs (Sorgi has seven RBI in Stanford's last two games) and had a career-high (and team season-high-tying) two sacrifice flies
John Hester tied a career-high with his three RBI
Chris Minaker tied a season-high with his three RBI
Jim Rapoport drew two walks and has now walked 10 times in his last three contests, while successfully executing his team-leading sixth sacrifice bunt of the campaign
John Mayberry Jr.'s two-double game was the second of his career and he now leads the squad with 15 doubles ... Mayberry also took sole possession of the team's lead in hits and now has 51 on the season
Matt Manship's 1.1 scoreless innings now gives him 21.0 frames of work this year with just one run allowed as he lowered his season ERA to 0.43