May 27, 2007
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Los Angeles, Calif. - Stanford (28-28, 9-15 Pac-10) closed out 2007 with its sixth straight win in a 10-5 victory over USC (27-29, 8-16 Pac-10) on Sunday at Dedeaux Field. The team's ninth victory in its final 10 games of the campaign allowed the Cardinal to extend its string of non-losing seasons to 14 in a row.
Stanford also pulled itself out of the Pac-10 cellar with the victory, while the Trojans fell into the league's basement. Stanford's offense once again keyed the victory as the team scored double digit runs for the third straight contest to finish with 40 runs scored and 58 hits in a three-game sweep of the Trojans.
"I am proud of the way this ballclub finished the season," commented Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "They never quit working hard, and the way played at the end of the season, and the results we had in the last few weeks were evidence of that."
Brent Milleville (4-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI) equaled a career-high with four of Stanford's 19 hits and also blasted his first home run of the season in Sunday's victory. Toby Gerhart (3-4) and Cord Phelps (3-5, RBI) both equaled career-highs as well with three hits each. Michael Taylor (2-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI) extended his career-high hit streak to 12 games and recorded his 16th multiple-hit contest in his last 19 games, while Sean Ratliff (2-5, 2B, RBI) and Adam Sorgi (2-5) also had a pair of hits each. All nine Stanford starters had at least one hit.
"It's something for us to build on," said Taylor about the team's hot finish. "There are a lot of guys who learned lessons about perseverance. We were able to preserve and work hard throughout the season, and we were able to get back to .500."
Stanford starter Austin Yount (3-1) earned the victory by limiting the Trojans to three runs on seven hits and three walks in a 5.2 inning outing that match the longest of his career. Yount also tied a career-high with his five strikeouts in his first Pac-10 start on the mound.
USC's Lucas Duda (2-4, HR, RBI) and Hector Estrella (2-5, 2B) had two hits each, while J.J. Owen and Mike O'Neill both drove in a pair of runs.
USC starter Tommy Milone took the loss to fall to 3-7 on the season, allowing six runs on 10 hits and two walks with five strikeouts.
Stanford jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never trailed. Back-to-back doubles by Ratliff and Taylor following a one-out walk to Gerhart accounted for the first two Cardinal runs of the contest.
Taylor's clutch two-out bases loaded double in the second gave the Cardinal three more runs and an early 5-0 advantage. Stanford had loaded the bases for Taylor when Phelps and Ryan Seawell led off the inning with back-to-back singles and moved to third on Jeff Whitlow's sacrifice bunt before Gerhart was hit by a pitch.
USC came back with one run in the bottom of the second on three singles. One-out singles by Johnny Bowden and Robert Stock set the stage for a two-out RBI single by O'Neill two batters later.
The Trojans got two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Cardinal lead to 5-3. Duda led off with a solo homer over the right field wall for the first run of the inning. Stock restarted the rally with a one-out walk, moved to third on a double by Estrella and scored on an RBI groundout from O'Neill.
Stanford would score the game's next five runs to take a 10-3 lead.
Milleville gave the Cardinal one run with a one-out solo shot in the top of the fifth.
Stanford got one more run in the seventh. Sorgi and Milleville led off the inning with back-to-back singles before moving to second and third on Brian Juhl's sacrifice bunt. Seawell drew a two-out walk two batters later before Whitlow was credited with an RBI infield single to bring Sorgi home.
The Cardinal gave itself a big cushion that would prove helpful during a ninth inning USC comeback by scoring three times after two were out in the top of the eighth. Sorgi started the two-out rally with a single and scored on a Milleville double. Juhl followed with an RBI double to plate Milleville and end a tough outing for USC reliever Anthony Vasquez (2.2 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO). Phelps then greeted Paul Koss (1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 SO) with an RBI single to conclude Stanford's scoring for the season.
USC made it interesting in the ninth with a two-run rally off three Cardinal relievers. Cory Bannister (1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB) walked pinch-hitter Roberto Lopez to start the inning, before allowing a single to Grant Green and walking Matt Cusick to load the bases. Bannister gave way to Andrew Clauson (0.0 IP, 1 BF, 1 H), who gave up a two-run double to Owen to plate Lopez and Green. Nolan Gallagher (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO) was called upon to get the final outs for the Cardinal. Gallagher walked Duda to load the bases but then retired the final three batters in order with the tying run looming on deck.
"It was satisfying both as a team and an individual to come in and be on the mound when we got that sweep," said Gallagher. "It's not an easy place to win here at USC. It felt good to provide something for the team."