Feb. 20, 2007
Complete Recap in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Stanford, Calif. - Three pitchers allowed just one unearned run on seven hits without a walk to lead Stanford (4-5) to a 4-1 victory over San Francisco (5-5) in a non-conference game played on a chilly evening at Sunken Diamond. Austin Yount (1-0) earned the victory in the longest outing of his career, shutting the Dons out for 5.0 innings and allowing just three hits while striking out two in relief of starter Tom Stilson (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 SO). David Stringer earned his second save of the season with 3.0 scoreless innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two.
"It felt good out there tonight," said Yount. "I was just trying to throw strikes and mix pitches well."
Joey August (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI) was the only Stanford player with more than one hit, including a clutch two-out two-RBI double in the bottom of the sixth to run Stanford's lead to 4-1.
"We played good defensive and pitched well, and when you do that you feel pretty good after the game," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "I was very pleased with that."
The Cardinal sixth started when Sean Ratliff reached on an error by San Francisco shortstop Tavo Hall. Dons starter and losing pitcher Mitchell Bialosky (5.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) then walked Brent Milleville before being removed in favor of Cole Stipovich (0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB), who retired pinch-hitter Brian Juhl before walking Jason Castro to load the bases for August.
Joey August had a key two-out two-RBI double in the sixth inning of a 4-1 win over San Francisco on Tuesday |
"He'd been attacking me with the slider the whole at bat, so I was just trying to stay back the best I could and look for it," said August. "Luckily enough he elevated one a little bit, and I was able to find a hole somewhere."
Stanford had erased an early 1-0 San Francisco lead by scoring two runs during a two-out rally in the fifth. August started that rally when he singled and then came all the way home to tie the game at 1-1 when Cord Phelps line drive skipped by a diving Luke Sommer in right field for a triple. Adam Gaylord then plated Phelps to give Stanford its first lead of the game with an RBI single through the left side of the infield that also extended his career-high hit streak to seven games.
"We got some timely hitting and had a couple of guys get big hits for us tonight," Marquess added.
San Francisco got an unearned run in the top of the first inning. Joey Railey led off the game with a single and the Dons ended up with runners on first and second when Stilson failed to cleanly pick up a sacrifice bunt from Hall. Derek Poppert then singled to load the bases and Railey would come around to score when Jonathan Norfolk just beat out a potential inning-ending double play for an RBI fielder's choice.
Railey (2-4) was the only San Francisco player with a multiple-hit contest.
The Dons would only put a runner into scoring position in three more innings after the first and never get another runner past second base while going down in order three times in the second, fourth and eighth frames.The win helped Stanford avenge a 9-4 loss to San Francisco at Sunken Diamond last season (April 17, 2006) and three home defeats at the hands of the Dons this decade.
Stanford continues a stretch that sees the Cardinal play 11 of 12 contests at home when the Cardinal hosts Kansas (7-1) in a three-game series this 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.