May 12, 2007
Complete Recap in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Stanford, Calif. - Stanford (20-27, 5-15 Pac-10) scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning in an 8-6 victory over Washington (26-22, 9-8 Pac-10) to even a three-game Pac-10 series between the clubs at Sunken Diamond on Saturday. The teams were tied 3-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth before the Cardinal five-spot put Stanford in front 8-3 heading into the ninth. Washington scored three times in the top of the ninth and brought the go-ahead run to the plate with two outs before Austin Yount came on to earn his first save of the season by forcing Matt Stevens into a game-ending fielder's choice."I was just trying to pick up our team," said Yount. "It was nice to get a win today and set ourselves up to hopefully win the series tomorrow."
Stanford's victory put the Cardinal in position to win its first Pac-10 series of the 2007 campaign Sunday (1 pm, PT) when the teams square off in a rubber game of the series to be televised live nationally by CSTV. Stanford has announced RHP Erik Davis (2-2, 5.18) as its probable starter on the mound, while Washington is slated to go with RHP Jorden Merry (6-6, 4.61). Stanford has a current Pac-10 series losing streak of seven dating back to its final 2006 conference series that is the longest league series skid in the school's recorded history. Stanford has also dropped seven consecutive series overall, which is the most since the Cardinal lost eight straight series from April 13, 1978 - March 31, 1979.
Stanford has been in the same position to snap its series losing streaks in each of its past three series but has fell in the rubber game on all three occasions.
"It would be huge [to get the series victory," commented Joey August. "We've been close the last three series and just haven't gotten in done in the rubber game. It's kind of a pride thing to be able to prove ourselves to some people."
"It would be good [to get a series win]," offered Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "We haven't done it in a long time. Hopefully, we'll come back and play a good game tomorrow and win the series."
Stanford's five-run bottom of the eighth started with a one-out pinch-hit single by Brian Juhl before Brent Milleville came up with a clutch RBI double to the leftcenter field gap that plated Juhl and put the Cardinal ahead, 4-3. The Cardinal would tack on four more insurance runs on back-to-back RBI singles by Ryan Seawell and August, and then an RBI triple and an RBI double from Sean Ratliff and Michael Taylor later in the inning.
"We finally put it together," said Milleville about the team's five-run eighth. "I felt like that was one of our best innings of the year on offense. We had a lot of guys battling pitchers and winning big spots."
"I'm really proud of the way we were pulling together today, especially in that eighth inning," added August.
Joey August (4-5, 2B, RBI) had a career-high four hits in Stanford's 8-6 win over Washington on Saturday |
The added runs would be put to good use when Washington managed a three-run rally of its own in the top of the ninth. Michael Burgher drew a leadoff walk from Nolan Gallagher (4-6), who was credited with a victory despite allowing three runs on three hits and three walks in his 1.2 innings of relief. After getting the next two outs, Gallagher gave up an RBI double to Curt Rindal and a two-run homer to Trevor Petersen as the Cardinal lead shrank to 8-6. Gallagher stayed in the game for one more hitter but was removed in favor of Blake Hancock (1 BF, 1 H) after allowing Ty Rasmussen to restart a rally with a two-out single. Hancock then gave up a single to Danny Cox before Yount came on and induced Stevens' game-ending fielder's choice.
August (4-5, 2B, RBI) was one of five Stanford players with multiple-hit games for a Cardinal offense that put together 16 hits to fall one shy of its season-high and record double digit hits for the 11th time in the last 13 contests. Ratliff (3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI) extended his career-high hit streak to 12 games with a three-hit contest, while Seawell (2-3, 2 RBI, SB), Adam Sorgi (2-4) and Taylor (2-5, 2B, RBI) had two-hit games, and Milleville drove in a pair of runs.
Rasmussen (3-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI) and Petersen (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI) both had a pair of homers for Washington and combined to drive in five of the Huskies' six runs. Four other Washington players - Rindal (2-4, 2B, RBI), Stevens (2-4, 2B), Cox (2-4) and Bradley Boyer (2-5, 2 2B) - had a pair of hits each for a Husky squad that had 13 hits of its own.
Washington reliever Nick Haughian (0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER) started the eighth inning and took the loss in a nightmare outing to fall to 4-7 on the season.
Saturday's game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when a leadoff single by Seawell, a double from August and an RBI groundout by Brendan Domaracki plated Seawell with the first run of the contest.Both teams scored a pair of runs in the fourth as the Cardinal kept a one-run lead at 3-2.
Washington's runs came when Petersen and Rasmussen homered on back-to-back pitches with one out in the top of the fourth.
Stanford answered in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back sacrifice flies from Milleville and Seawell after the Cardinal had loaded the bases with no outs on singles by Sorgi and Cord Phelps, and a hit batsmen absorbed by Jason Castro.
Washington tied the game at 3-3 when Rasmussen blasted his second solo shot in as many at bats with one out in the top of the sixth.
Tickets for the Washington series finale on Sunday are available at the Sunken Diamond Ticket Office beginning one hour before first pitch. Tickets for any of the remaining regular season 2007 Stanford Baseball home contests are available online at gostanford.com, by calling 1-800-STANFORD or at the Sunken Diamond Ticket Office on gamedays. For group ticket information (groups of 10 or more), call 650-725-2876.