March 21, 2008
Stanford, Calif. - A nine-run Pacific (5-14) fifth inning proved too much for No. 17 Stanford (8-5) to rebound from in a 10-6 loss to the Tigers at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond on a chilly Friday evening. Stanford answered with five runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth and loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth to get the tying run to the plate before Cole Akins struck out Zach Jones to earn his first career save and end the game three hours and 31 minutes after the contest began.
Pacific benefitted from three Stanford errors and five walks in the fifth when the Tigers sent 15 batters to the plate despite picking up just three hits during the nine-run outburst.
Austin Yount (4-5, 2B) had the first four-hit game of his career for Stanford. Brendan Domaracki (2-4, SB, RBI), Sean Ratliff (2-4, RBI), Jake Schlander (2-4) and Randy Molina (2-5, 2 RBI) added two hits each for a Cardinal team that had twice as many hits as the Tigers with a 14-7 advantage but left 11 runners on base compared to only five for Pacific.
Joe Oliveira (2-4, 2 2B, RBI) was the only Pacific player with more than one hit, while J.B. Brown drove in three runs as the Tigers were assisted by eight Stanford walks.
Pacific's nine-run fifth that was the biggest inning by a Stanford opponent this season started when Nick Longmire drew a leadoff walk from Stanford starter and losing pitcher Jeremy Bleich, who allowed just two hits and no earned runs in his 4.2 innings but was victimized by his own career-high-tying six walks and three errors by the Cardinal infield as the Tigers tallied seven unearned runs. The rally really got going when Molina made back-to-back throwing errors to bring Longmire around to tie the score at 1-1. Molina's first error came when he tried to turn a double play ball on John Joines' grounder to the Cardinal first baseman but threw wide trying to retire Longmire at second base. Jonathan Lewis then bunted the ball down the first base line to Molina on the next play and Molina threw wildly again trying to get Longmire at third, allowing Longmire to score and putting runners and second and third base with still no outs. The Cardinal finally got its first out on an RBI groundout by Brown before Oliveria doubled home Lewis to make it 3-1 in favor of Pacific. A balk was called during the middle of the play on the next batter but Bleich threw the ball home and Adam Ching grounded to Jones at third, who proceeded to throw the ball off Oliveria's back for the third Cardinal error of the inning. Bleich then walked McKeever to load the bases and Kurt Wideman followed with a sacrifice fly. But the Tigers would not be done, scoring their final five runs of the frame with two outs. Brian Martin drew a walk to load the bases and end Bleich's outing before Cardinal reliever Alex Pracher gave up an RBI single to Longmire, wild pitched in a run and walked pinch-hitter Jason Haar during a short relief stint. Michael Marshall found no more luck, walking Lewis to force home a run and allowing a two-RBI single to Brown before Blake Hancock finally came in and recorded the final out.
Stanford had scored the only run of the game until the fifth when Domaracki walked with one out in the first, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Molina.
The Cardinal would add five more in the fifth off Pacific starter Tyler Waldron (4.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 SO) to start a comeback attempt. Stanford scored a pair of runs before the Tigers could record an out. Jones and Schlander started the inning off with back-to-back singles before a passed ball by Wideman allowed Jones to trot across the plate. Domaracki then singled home Schlander, Waldron uncorked a wild pitch and Molina brought home Domaracki with an RBI groundout for three more runs. Ratliff capped the rally and ended Waldron's outing with an RBI single and Yount kept the rally alive with a single off Larry Holscher (4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) before the first of two Pacific relievers and the eventual winning pitcher got out of the jam by retiring Jeff Whitlow and Jones on back-to-back pop-outs to Ching at second base.
Pacific would add an insurance run in the eighth when Oliveria's two-out double was backed up by an RBI single from Chang but was mostly held in check for the rest of the game due to strong relief outings from Blake Hancock (3.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO) and Danny Sandbrink (1.0 IP, 1 H)Stanford threatened to continue its comeback in the sixth, seventh and ninth with runners in scoring position in all three innings but failed to score on each occasion.
Stanford and Pacific continue the series with single games at Pacific on Saturday and Monday. Both contests in Stockton are scheduled to begin at 6 pm, PT. Stanford is slated to send RHP Erik Davis (1-1, 8.10) to the mound on Saturday versus Pacific RHP Mark McCain (1-0, 2.16). Neither team has announced a probable starting pitcher for Sunday's series finale.