May 19, 2007
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Stockton, Calif. - Stanford (23-28) evened a three-game non-conference series versus Pacific (14-41) with an 11-2 victory over the Tigers on a warm Saturday afternoon at Klein Family Field. Jeremy Bleich earned the victory with the first complete game of his career as he allowed just two runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Sean Ratliff (3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI) homered twice in a game for the third time this season and drove in five runs, while Michael Taylor (3-4) stayed red hot by posting his 12th multiple-hit contest in his last 14 games.
Toby Gerhart (2-3, RBI), Cord Phelps (2-4, 3 RBI), Brent Milleville (2-5, RBI) and Adam Sorgi (2-5) added two hits each for a Cardinal offense that tied a season-best with 17 hits.
The win kept Stanford's hopes of avoiding its first losing season since 1993 alive as the Cardinal can still finish at .500 with wins in each of its final five regular season contests.
"We did a lot of things well today," commented Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We obviously had a game that was very well pitched by Jeremy Bleich, but we also got the long ball and big hits when we need them. Overall, I was very pleased."
The story of the day for the Cardinal was Bleich, who pitched just the second complete game by a Stanford pitcher in 2007 and retired the side in order five times in the first, second, fifth, seventh and eighth frames.
"It's been a rough season, so it felt good to pitch well and get a complete game," said Bleich, who improved to just 2-8 with the victory. "I was relaxed and really let the game come to me instead of trying to force things. As a result, I was able to get out of some key situations."
Ratliff's first homer was a long solo shot to lead off the top of the fourth inning that caromed off his own image on the towering scoreboard behind the rightcenter field fence to give the Cardinal an early 1-0 lead.
Sean Ratliff (3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI) had a pair of homers for third time this season and drove in five runs in an 11-2 win at Pacific on Saturday |
"Jeremy Bleich pitched a great game today, and I just wanted to do anything I could to support him," said Ratliff.
Phelps had a key two-out, two-RBI single to cap a three-run Stanford sixth that increased the Cardinal lead to 4-0. Stanford scored a run earlier in the inning on an error by Pacific starter and losing pitcher Cole Akins (6.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) when he threw away a ball into center field on Sorgi's high-hopper back to the mound. The rally started when Brendan Domaracki singled to start the inning and Taylor followed with a single two batters later to put runners on first and second with just one out before Akins' critical error allowed a run to score and left a pair of runners on base for Phelps, who singled them in two batters later after Jason Castro moved them up a base on his groundout.
Pacific broke up Bleich's bid for his first career shutout with a run in the sixth when Matt Fuson doubled with two outs and scored on an RBI single from Zach Chamberlin that extended his hit streak to 22 games.
Stanford took any momentum Pacific had hoped to gain right back with a run in the seventh when Jeff Whitlow started a two-out rally with a pinch-hit double and scored when Ratliff followed with an RBI single.
Stanford blew the game open with six runs in the top of the ninth as a three-run homer by Ratliff accounted for the first three runs after Gerhart had led off the inning with a single and Whitlow had reached on an error. Taylor restarted the rally after Ratliff's homer with a laser single to left and the Cardinal had runners on second and third base after Sorgi singled down the left field line and advanced to second when Pacific leftfielder John Joines tried to throw Taylor out going from first to third on the play. Phelps brought Taylor home with a sacrifice fly before RBI singles by Milleville and Gerhart later in the inning gave the Cardinal its final two runs.
Pacific picked up one run in the ninth when Justin Baum led off with a double and pinch-hitter Kurt Wideman brought him home two batters later with another double. But Bleich completed his game another two batters later by getting pinch-hitter Clint Eastman to ground into a game-ending double play.
Fuson (2-4, 2B) was the only Pacific player with more than one hit.
Stanford and Pacific will return to Sunken Diamond to conclude the series Sunday on Fan Appreciation/Senior Day (1 pm, PT). Stanford is scheduled to start RHP Erik Davis (3-2, 4.54) in the rubber game of the series as Stanford goes for its second straight series win, while Pacific is slated to send RHP Jason Haar (2-2, 5.32) to the mound.
Stanford will close out its 2007 regular season home schedule against UC Davis next Tuesday, May 22 (6 pm, PT) before ending its 2007 regular season campaign with a three-game Pac-10 series at USC next Friday-Sunday, May 25-27 (7 pm, 1:30 pm, 1 pm, PT).
Tickets for both remaining Stanford Baseball home games are available at the Sunken Diamond Ticket Office beginning one hour before first pitch or online at gostanford.com. Tickets for Tuesday's contest against UC Davis are available at the Sunken Diamond Ticket Office, as well as online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD. For group ticket information (groups of 10 or more), call 650-725-2876.