May 13, 2007
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Stanford, Calif. - Stanford (21-27, 6-15 Pac-10) won its first Pac-10 series of the season with a 10-7 victory over Washington in the rubber game of the series on Sunday. The victory gave the Cardinal two-of-three wins in the series as the Cardinal snapped series losing streaks of seven straight in the Pac-10 as well as seven consecutive overall. Michael Taylor (3-4, RBI) led the 16-hit Stanford offense, while Erik Davis (6.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 SO) picked up the victory on the mound to improve to 3-2 on the season.
"It was good to get the series win," said Stanford head coach Mark Marquess. "Our guys have kept working throughout the season, and this is a bit of a reward for that work."
The seven-game Pac-10 series streaks was the longest in the school's recorded history and dated back to the last Stanford series win also over Washington last May 12-14, 2006, in Seattle.
Stanford's offense pounded out 16 hits in the contest as five other players -- Brent Milleville (2-4, RBI, SB), Brendan Domaracki (2-4, 2B), Joey August (2-5, HR, 2 RBI), Sean Ratliff (2-5, 2B, RBI) and Adam Sorgi (2-5, 2B, RBI) -- had two hits each to join Taylor with multiple-hit contests. Ryan Seawell also homered and drove in a pair of runs.
Washington was led offensively by Curt Rindal (3-5, 2B), Ty Rasmussen (2-4, RBI) and Matt Stevens (2-4, 2B) with multi-hit contests, while Danny Cox tripled and drove in a pair of runs.
Husky starter Jorden Merry (6-7) took the loss, giving up five runs on eight hits with one strikeout in the first 3.2 frames.
Stanford got out to a 5-0 lead after four innings by scoring once in the third and four more times in the fifth after two were out in both frames.Domaracki stroked a two-out double and Ratliff followed with a clutch RBI single in the fourth.
Taylor started the fifth by beating out an infield single to start the fifth but had to wait three more batters before Jason Castro drove him in with an RBI down the right field line. Milleville then singled home Castro before stealing second base and scoring when Seawell blasted a two-run shot over the left field wall.
Washington got back in the game by scoring three unearned two-out runs after two were out in the top of the fifth. Davis' wildness started the problems as he hit Cox and walked Matt Hague before wild pitching the runners to second and third base. Rindal then hit a what would have been an RBI groundout but Stanford shortstop Cord Phelps failed to field the ball for the only error of the game as Cox scored and Hague moved over to third, where he would score on a passed ball by Milleville behind the plate. Rindall, who had moved to second on the passed ball, then scooted over to third on a Davis wild pitch that preceded Ty Rasummen's RBI single.
Stanford got two of the runs back in its half of the fifth to go back in front 7-3 when Ratliff and Taylor started the inning with a double and a triple, both down the left field line. Sorgi then brought Taylor home for the second and final run of the frame with an RBI groundout.
Stanford increased its lead to 9-3 in the sixth when August connected on his two-run homer after Seawell was hit by a pitch.
Washington started chipping away at the Stanford lead with a run in the seventh. Rindal and Rasmussen started the rally with back-to-back one-out singles before moving to second and third on one of Davis' four wild pitches. Rindal would score on Trevor Petersen's RBI groundout.
The Huskies made a serious run at the Cardinal in the top of the eighth off Cardinal reliever Austin Yount (2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 SO), scoring three times to cut the Stanford lead to 9-7. Stevens greeted Yount with a double down the line before the only Cardinal reliever of the day hit Joey Dunn was hit by a pitch. Yount struck out Michael Burgher looking for the first out of the inning but Cox came though with a clutch two-RBI triple down the right field line to score both runners before a groundout RBI by Hague plated Cox.
Stanford was able to pick up an insurance run and change a little bit of the momentum with a run in its half of the eighth. Milleville and Seawell started the inning with a single and a walk to end a relief outing for Brandon McKerney (2.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB). Toby Gerhart came through with a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle to batters later to bring home Milleville.
There was no drama in the top of the ninth as Yount retired the Huskies in order.
Stanford will be out of Pac-10 action for its next five games beginning with a contest at Santa Clara this Tuesday, May 15 (6 pm, PT). Stanford's next home game is the opener of a three-game non-conference series versus Pacific on Friday, May 18 (6 pm, PT). The annual Town & Country Fireworks Show will take place after the contest.