May 13, 2006
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Seattle, Wash. - Stanford (26-21, 9-11 Pac-10) scored nine runs in the top of the second inning and cruised to a 14-6 Pac-10 victory over Washington (32-22, 9-11 Pac-10) at Husky Ballpark on Saturday to extend its win streak to a new season-best five games. Chris Minaker (3-6, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Chris Lewis (2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) both had three-run homers in the Cardinal second, while Ryan Seawell (3-5, 2B, RBI) added a three-hit game and also scored three runs. Nolan Gallagher (3-3) held Washington to just one run over a career-high 7.0 innings of relief to earn the win after entering the contest to start the second frame.
Brian Juhl (2-4, RBI) and Michael Taylor (2-5, 2 RBI, SB) each added two hits for the Cardinal while Escue and Seawell each drove in a run. Lewis, Escue and Jim Rapoport scored two runs each with all nine Stanford starters scoring at least one of the team's season-high 14 runs.
Lane (2-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) and Matt Stevens (2-4, HR, RBI) both homered to lead the Huskies' offense. Danny Cox (3-5, 2B) and Hague (2-5) added multiple-hit contests, while Curt Rindal drove in the other Washington run.
Washington actually took an early 4-0 lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first inning off Stanford starter Matt Leva (1.0 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO). Leva hit Jesse Ferguson to start the rally before Hague lined a shot off the glove of a diving Lewis at second base to put Huskies at first and third with no outs. Leva got Rindal on a sacrifice fly that brought home Ferguson and Zach Clem on a fly out for the second out before walking Cory Rickard and giving up a three-run homer just inside the right field foul pole to Matt Lane. The Huskies reloaded the bases but Leva struck out Ferguson to keep the Washington lead from growing bigger than 4-0.
"The coaches just kept tell us that it was a long game," commented Gallagher about the mood in the dugout after Washington took its early lead. "Once we got that momentum rolling, we knew we could come back."
Stanford got the momentum back immediately, scoring all nine of its runs after two were out in the top of the second. Lewis started the rally with a one-out double but remained there until Juhl's two-out single brought Lewis in to put the Cardinal on the scoreboard. Washington starter and losing pitcher Kyle Parker (3-2) then walked the bases loaded before Escue beat out an infield single that brought home Juhl. Rapoport also scored from second on the play when Husky second baseman Bradley Boyer threw the ball into the dugout in attempt to retire Escue at first base for the final out o the inning. Minaker followed by blasting a three-run homer to rightcenter field to give the Cardinal its first lead of the game at 6-4. Taylor restarted with a single and stole second before Parker (1.2 IP, 6 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO) was removed after walking Randy Molina. Lewis capped the rally when he took the first pitch he saw from reliever Brandon McKerney (1.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 SO) over the left field wall.
The Cardinal added three more runs in the top of the third to take a dominating 12-4 advantage. The Cardinal loaded the bases with one out on back-to-back singles by Rapoport and Seawell, and a walk to Escue. Minaker then hit a potential inning-ending double play ball that Stevens booted at third base, allowing Rapoport to score and leaving the bases loaded. Taylor followed with an RBI single through the right side of the infield that scored Seawell and Escue also came around from second to score on the play when Rickard made an error fielding the ball in right field. Molina walked to reload the bases before Lewis grounded into an inning-ending double play.
Gallagher (7.0 IP, 9 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) had at least one base runner on in six of his seven innings of work but worked his way out of jams with runners in scoring position four times, giving up the only run he allowed on a solo homer by Stevens to lead off the fifth.
"I just wanted to start by putting three innings of donuts (zeros) up there on the scoreboard and go from there," said Gallagher. "I just wanted to do that and then let the rest happen."
Stanford added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to conclude its scoring. In the seventh, Seawell led off with a single and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Taylor. Seawell's two-out RBI double in the eighth brought home Jason Castro, who had singled with one out to start a rally. Rapoport was cut down at the plate trying to score a second Cardinal run on the play to end the inning.
Lane led off the bottom of the ninth with a solo shot off Stanford reliever Max Fearnow (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER) to end the game's scoring.
Eight starters from each team had at least one hit in a contest that featured a combined 20 runs, 28 hits and five errors between the clubs.
Stanford and Washington are scheduled to conclude the series on Sunday (1 pm, PT). Washington is slated to pitch RHP Elliott Cribby (6-5, 2.90), while the Cardinal has not announced a probable starter. The two Stanford victories over the Huskies have put the clubs in a sixth-place Pac-10 tie.
"We have played very well the last two days and hope we can just keep playing this way," stated Stanford head coach Mark Marquess, who picked up his 1250th career victory (all at Stanford).
"It feels good to be playing so well both individually and as a team in front of my hometown fans," added Minaker, who prepped at Edmonds-Woodway High School and is a native of nearby Lynnwood, Washington.