April 7, 2008
Berkeley, Calif. - No. 10 Stanford and No. 5 California played 13 innings of baseball Monday in a non-conference contest at Evans Diamond with the score tied 5-5 before darkness fell. An official ruling on the outcome of the contest that has taken four hours and 52 minutes to this point is still to be determined. Cord Phelps (3-5, HR, 4 RBI) has been the hero in the game for the Cardinal, sending the contest into extra innings with a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth after driving in three runs earlier in the contest with a two-run homer in the second inning and an RBI single in the fourth frame also both with two outs to stake Stanford to a 4-1 margin.
Stanford seemed in control early in the contest, jumping out to a 3-0 lead after an inning and a half.
The Cardinal scored one run in the top of the first frame. California starter Daniel Wolford (2.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO) had a hard time throwing strikes in the inning, issuing free passes to Phelps and Brendan Domaracki to start the game before Jason Castro singled up the middle to put Stanford on the scoreboard just three batters into the contest. Wolford issued another walk to Cardinal cleanup hitter Randy Molina to load the bases but got out of the inning without any further damage when he struck out Sean Ratliff and forced Joey August into a double play to end the inning.
Austin Yount started the second inning by drawing Wolford's fourth walk of the game but was forced out at second on a fielder's choice by Zach Jones. Jones would steal second and then score when Phelps connected on a line drive home run against the wind and over the right field wall to put Stanford ahead, 3-0.
California got one run back when Josh Satin connected on a monster shot over the left center field fence to start the Golden Bear second inning.
Phelps would bring Jones home again with a two-out RBI single in the fourth after Jones had singled and stole second base earlier in the frame.
California would score the next four runs of the contest, going ahead 5-4 with two runs in the sixth. Brett Jackson started the Golden Bear sixth with a one-out single before stealing second base and scoring on a Jeff Kobernus RBI single to tie the contest at 4-4. Kobernus would then steal third and score when Blake Smith's comebacker up the middle glanced off the glove of Cardinal reliever Alex Pracher (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER). Phelps made a diving stop of the ball but Kobernus was able to score and Phelps had to settle for throwing Smith out at first base for the second out of the inning.
Neither team would score again until the Cardinal tied the game in the top of the ninth.
The Golden Bears started their comeback in the fourth when singles by David Cooper, Satin and Kobernus got California a run in the fourth off Cardinal reliever Cory Bannister (1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER).
California cut Stanford's lead to 4-3 in the fifth when Dylan Tonneson doubled to start the inning, moved to third base two batters later on a Brian Guinn bunt single and then scored on a sacrifice fly from Charlie Cutler.
Domaracki (2-5) and Castro (2-6, 2B, RBI) joined Phelps with multiple-hit games for the Cardinal as the top three hitters in the Stanford lineup combined for seven of the team's 10 hits.
Four California players - Tonneson (2-3, 2B), Satin (2-4, HR, RBI), Jackson (2-5, 3B, SB) and Kobernus (2-6, 2B, 2 RBI, SB) - had a pair of hits each as the Golden Bears have outhit Stanford, 14-10.
Stanford (15-9, 4-2 Pac-10) will return to action with a non-conference home game against UC Davis (20-10, 3-0 Big West) at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond on Wednesday, April 9 (6 pm, PT). The Cardinal gets back into Pac-10 play with a three-game road series at two-time defending national champion Oregon State (15-10, 3-3 Pac-10) this Friday-Sunday, April 11-13 (5 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT). Stanford is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the Pac-10 along with Arizona State and California as all three teams are 4-2 on the conference circuit.