April 2, 2006
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Stanford, Calif. - USC (17-13, 4-2 Pac-10) earned its first series victory at Sunken Diamond since 1999 and also wrapped up its first season series triumph against Stanford (13-11, 2-4 Pac-10) since 1996 with a 6-1 win over the Cardinal in the rubber game of a three-game Pac-10 set on a damp and dark Sunday. Ryan Cook (3-3) notched the victory by holding the Cardinal to just one run on four hits and three walks, while striking out five over 8.1 innings in the longest start of his career. David Parrow (0.2 IP, 1 SO) got the final two outs for the Trojans in the bottom of the ninth.
Matt Cusick (3-4, 2 RBI), Hector Estrella (2-2, 2 2B, RBI) and Blake Sharpe (2-4, RBI) had multiple-hit games for a Trojan offense that outhit Stanford, 11-4.
Stanford starter Matt Manship (1-3) took the loss despite keeping the Cardinal close by allowing just three runs (two earned) on seven hits and two walks, while striking out three over the first 6.0 innings.
Jason Castro doubled for the only Stanford extra-base knock, while the club did not have a player with more than one hit in the contest.
USC got all the scoring the team would need with a two-run third. Estrella led off with the first of his two doubles and then scored two batters later on an RBI single from Cusick, who would move to third when Sharpe followed with a single and score on Cyle Hankerd's sacrifice fly.
The Trojans scored an unearned run in the fifth to make it 3-0 when Baron Frost reached on a fielding error by Cardinal third baseman Chris Lewis, moved to second on Darin Vieira's sacrifice bunt and scored on the second consecutive double from Estrella.
Stanford scored its only run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth to cut the Trojan lead to 3-1. Castro led off with his double and moved to third on a single by Lewis but Cord Phelps then hit into a double play that allowed Castro to score but subdued the Cardinal rally.
USC added three insurance runs in the top of the eighth as Cardinal reliever Sean Ratliff (1.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) was charged with all three. The Trojans loaded the bases off Ratliff when Frost and Vieira started the inning with back-to-back singles and Estrella was intentionally walked following Daniel Perales' sacrifice bunt. Pinch-hitter Josh Fogel and Cusick greeted Erik Davis (0.2 IP, 2 H) with back-to-back RBI singles for the first two Trojan runs of the inning, before Austin Yount (1.2 IP) came on and hit Sharpe to force Estrella home with the final run of the contest.
Stanford hit into a season-high-tying three double plays in the game, while also having a runner picked off and another caught stealing. The Cardinal ended up leaving just one runner on base when pinch-hitter Brendan Domaracki led off the ninth with a single but was stranded there. Stanford had only one runner in scoring position other than Castro in the sixth with Cook twice retiring eight consecutive hitters.
"We just need to get better," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We really haven't played very good baseball in any phase of the game recently."
Stanford will now play five consecutive non-conference games beginning with a home contest versus Sacramento State this Tuesday, April 4 (6 pm, PT). The Cardinal returns to Pac-10 action at defending conference champion and 2005 College World Series participant Oregon State (Thursday-Saturday, April 13-15, 5 pm, 5 pm, 1 pm, PT).