March 11, 2006
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Los Angeles, Calif. - USC scored six runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back in a 16-7 victory over No. 16 Stanford (11-6) to even a three-game non-conference series between the clubs Saturday at Dedeaux Field. Daniel Perales (5-5, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Johnny Bowden (3-4, 2 2B, 5 RBI) had huge offensive days to lead a 20-hit Trojan attack that gave USC starter Ryan Cook (1-2) plenty of support in his first collegiate victory.
Randy Molina (4-4, 2B, RBI) had a career-high four hits for Stanford.
Eight of the nine USC starters had at least one hit in the contest with Baron Frost (3-4), Lucas Duda (2-4, 2 RBI), Matt Cusick (2-4), Blake Sharpe (2-5, 3B, 2 RBI) and Darin Vieira (2-5) joining Perales and Bowden with multi-hit contests. Cyle Hankered doubled and was one of four Trojans along with Bowden, Duda, Perales and Sharpe to drive in more than one run. Hector Estrella was the only USC starter without a hit but contributed an RBI. Perales also scored a game-high four runs.
John Hester (2-3) was the only Stanford player other than Molina to muster more than one hit but the Cardinal was able to collect a season-high-tying 14 hits as a team, including the first career hits for J.J. Jelmini and Grant Escue with their back-to-back ninth inning singles. Both players also picked up their first career RBI on their hits, while Cord Phelps drove in a pair of runs for Stanford. Brent Milleville and Chris Lewis drove in the other Cardinal runs.
Stanford starter Matt Manship (0-2) suffered the loss by failing to get out of the second inning in the shortest start of his career. Manship gave up six runs on six hits and a walk without striking out a batter in just 1.2 innings of work. USC increased its early lead against Manship off Cardinal relievers Max Fearnow (2.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 SO), Blake Holler (2.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) and Matt Leva (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 SO).
The Cardinal actually took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second before the Trojans answered with their six-run inning in the bottom of the frame. Hester and Molina started the Cardinal second with back-to-back hits but it was an error two batters later by Cusick at third that loaded the bases with just one out and set up an RBI fielders' choice from Phelps before Cook avoided further damage by retiring Joey August on a long fly out just in front of the track to Perales in right.
USC quickly ended any early Stanford momentum in the bottom of the second. Frost, Vieira and Perales started the inning with three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs. Estrella then grounded to Chris Lewis at second to score Frost and tie the score at 1-1. Bowden followed with a double down the left field line to put USC ahead, 3-1. Manship walked Cusick before retiring Sharpe on a fly ball to Taylor in right field for the second out but Hankerd came through with a clutch two-out, two-RBI double that brought an early hook for Manship and put the Trojans up, 5-1. Duda greeted Fearnow with an RBI single to finish the rally.
Stanford came back with a run in the top of the fourth when Molina doubled to lead off the inning, moved to third on a fly out from Brendan Domaracki and scored on an RBI groundout by Lewis.
USC once again answered right back, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend its lead to 8-2. Cusick reached on a leadoff infield single before Sharpe smoked a triple to the gap in rightcenter field to score Cusick. Two batters later, Duda brought home Sharpe with a sacrifice fly.
The Trojans got two more in the bottom of the fifth off Holler to make it 10-2 when Perales led off with a single and scored two batters later on an RBI double from Bowden, before Sharpe's RBI single another two batters later plated Bowden.
Stanford scored once in the sixth when Hester and Molina led off an inning with back-to-back singles for the second time in the game, before Hester moved to third on a groundout from Domaracki and trotted home on a two-out RBI single by Phelps that extended his career-high hit streak to six games.
USC made sure there would be no Stanford comeback by adding four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Duda started the rally with a one-out single and the Trojans had the bases loaded with just one out after a walk to Frost and a single by Vieira. Perales then brought home Duda and Frost with a double, before Bowden's two-RBI single two batters later capped the rally.
Stanford scored once in the seventh when Michael Taylor was hit by a pitch with two outs, moved to second on a walk to Hester and scored on an RBI single from Molina.
After Leva retired the Trojans in order for the first time in the game in the seventh, Perales put the final runs on the board for the Trojans with a two-run shot in the eighth that also scored Frost, who had led off with a single.
Stanford managed three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth but it was far too little and too late. Pinch-hitter Brian Juhl extended his hit streak to three in a row with a one-out double and Jason Castro walked before Ryan Schlack struck out pinch-hitter Sean Ratliff for the second out of the frame. Three consecutive RBI singles by Brent Milleville, Jelmini and Escue stirred up a little excitement on a cold afternoon before Schlack struck out Ryan Seawell to end the afternoon.
The teams will play the rubber game of the series on Sunday (1 pm, PT). USC is scheduled to start LHP Tommy Milone (4.0, 4.50), while the Cardinal has yet to announce a probable starting pitcher for the contest.