May 10, 2006
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Sacramento, Calif. - Brian Juhl's first career homer lifted Stanford (24-21) to a 5-4 non-conference victory over Sacramento State (20-29) and its fifth win in the last six games on Wednesday at Hornet Field. Juhl snapped a 4-4 tie when he launched a two-out solo shot over the right field wall in the top of the sixth. He finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, driving in the first run of his career with a two-out third inning single. David Stringer (3-4) earned the victory with a brilliant relief outing, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with three walks. Austin Yount (1.0 IP, 1 SO) pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to notch his first collegiate save.
"It felt really good," said Juhl of his first career homer. "I knew I got the ball up, and I was hoping it would get out."
"It's just important to keep winning games," added Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We just need to try to win every game we can at this point in the season."
Juhl was the only Stanford player with more than one hit, while Brent Milleville drove in a career-high-tying pair of runs with a key two-out, two-run single in the top of the first inning.
David Flores (3-4, 2B, 2 RBI) had a game-high three hits for Sacramento State, while Buddy Morales (2-2, 2B) added two and Jim Strombach drove in a pair of runs with a first inning triple.
The teams traded three-run rallies in the first inning before pitching took over on both sides.
Ryan Seawell led off the game with a single and moved to second on Jim Rapoport's team-leading 11th sacrifice bunt. Chris Minaker was then hit by a pitch, before Michael Taylor came through with an RBI single through the left side of the infield. Chris Lewis drew a walk and Randy Molina struck out before Milleville drilled his clutch hit down the left field line.
Sacramento State's first inning rally off Stanford starter Blake Holler (2.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) started when Morales singled through the left side with two outs. Devin Spurling kept the inning alive with a single to right field, before Flores beat out an infield hit to score Morales and Strombach came up with his two-run triple down the right field line.
The clubs also exchanged a single run in the third inning.
Lewis drew a one-out walk from Sacramento State reliever Mel Cuckovich (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO) to get the inning going and Molina followed with a single before Milleville was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cuckovich got Jason Castro to fly out to short center field for the second out but Juhl came through with a clutch two-out RBI single down the left field line to score Lewis. Sacramento State limited the Cardinal to just one run on the play when Hornet left fielder Ronnie Machado, Jr. cut down Milleville at third base for the final out of the inning before Molina crossed the plate.
Morales started the Hornet third with a leadoff double before an RBI double by Flores two batters later plated Morales and ended Holler's short start. Stringer came on and got the final two outs of the inning without any further damage.
Stringer allowed at least one base runner in each of the five following innings but worked his way out of trouble each time.
The only base runner the Cardinal put on from the fourth through the eighth innings besides Juhl's homer off losing pitcher Travis Kane (3-5) was when Minaker reached on a bad-hop infield single with one out in the seventh.
Stanford had an opportunity to add an insurance run in the top of the ninth but Hornet reliever James Wheeler forced Minaker into an inning ending fly out with runners on second and third.
Stanford returns to Pac-10 action with a crucial three-game Pac-10 series at Washington (32-20, 9-9 Pac-10) this Friday-Sunday, May 12-14 (6:30 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm, PT). Stanford has won two-of-three games in each of its last two Pac-10 series to improve its league record to 7-11 after the Cardinal was just 3-9 at the halfway point of the conference season. Although Stanford remains in last place in the Pac-10 standings, the Cardinal is just 3.0 games behind second-place USC (10-8) in a very tight race between all eight teams in the conference besides league-leader Oregon State (11-4). The Huskies are an even 9-9 in league action to currently place fifth.