Feb. 17, 2007
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Round Rock, Texas - No. 14 Texas (6-4) jumped out to an early four-run lead after three innings and cruised to a 5-2 victory over Stanford (2-5) on a blustery day at The Dell Diamond on Saturday. Winning pitcher Adrian Alaniz (3-1) and reliever Randy Boone limited the Cardinal to two runs and six hits while combining for 10 strikeouts. Four Longhorns - Chance Wheeless (2-4, 2 2B, RBI), Bradley Suttle (2-4, 3B, RBI), Jordan Danks (2-4, 2B) and Nick Peoples (2-5, SB) -- had two hits each to lead an 11-hit Texas attack. Adam Gaylord (2-4, RBI) had the only multiple-hit game for the Cardinal, while Michael Taylor drove in the other Cardinal run with an RBI groundout.
"You have to give Texas a lot of credit for the way they are playing," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We haven't played well, but this is also a tough place to come into and do that especially early in the season."
Alaniz limited Stanford to one run on four hits and three walks with eight strikeouts over the first 7.0 innings and had a shutout going when he left after allowing a leadoff single to Gaylord and walking Sean Ratliff to start the eighth.
Boone (2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO) hit Toby Gerhart to load the bases with no outs in the eighth and allowed an inherited run to on Taylor's groundout but also thwarted a potential big inning by striking out Jason Castro and Austin Yount with runners still on second and third.
Stanford got one more in the ninth off Boone when pinch hitter Randy Molina led off the frame with a single and eventually scored on a two-out RBI base hit by Gaylord that got the tying run on deck before Boone got Ratliff on a groundout to end the game.
Stanford starter Jeffrey Inman (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts over 5.0 innings. Relievers Tom Stilson (2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO) and Yount (1.0 IP) kept the Cardinal close.
Texas scored twice in both the second and third innings.
A key play contributed to both runs in the Longhorn second. After Suttle singled up the middle to lead off the inning, Kyle Russell hit a high pop-up in the infield that turned into a single when it fell between Gaylord at shortstop and third baseman Cord Phelps. Gaylord picked up the ball and tried to throw Suttle out at second base but his wild throw allowed Suttle to come all the way around to score and Russell to end up at third. Wheeless then followed with a double to score Russell.
Danks started Texas' third inning rally with a leadoff double and was bunted to third by Preston Clark before Suttle banged a triple that bounced just shy of the wall in right field to plate Danks. Russell brought Suttle home with a sacrifice fly to center field to make it 4-0 in favor of the Longhorns.
Inman managed to post shutout innings in both the fourth and the fifth before Texas scored again in the sixth off Stilson. Travis Tucker greeted Stilson with a leadoff single and was bunted to second by Brett Lewis to move into scoring position for a Chais Fuller RBI single.
Alaniz set the Cardinal down in order four times before being removed after allowing Gaylord's leadoff single and walking Ratliff to start the eighth.
Stanford and Texas will conclude the three-game series on Sunday (1 pm, CT) in a game featuring a pair of scheduled lefthanded starter in Stanford's Jeremy Bleich (0-1, 6.10) and Texas' Austin Wood (1-0, 3.86). The series is being played at The Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas, due to construction at Disch-Falk Field. The Dell Diamond is the Houston Astros AAA facility and located approximately 19 miles from Austin.
Following Sunday's contest, the Cardinal will return home to Sunken Diamond for 11 of its next 12 beginning with a single game versus San Francisco on Tuesday, February 20 (5 pm, PT). Stanford will then host Kansas in a three-game series Friday-Sunday, February 23-25 (5 pm, 1 pm, 11 am, PT). Tickets for all regular season Stanford Baseball home games are available online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD. For group ticket information (groups of 10 or more), call 650-725-2876.