March 4, 2008
Stanford, Calif. - A red-hot No. 18 California (6-1) squad stopped a pair of Stanford (6-3) four-game win streaks with an 8-3 victory over the Cardinal in a non-conference game on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon at Evans Diamond. Stanford had previously won four straight overall as well as its final four road games last season heading into the club's first 2008 road game. Brett Jackson's two-RBI single with one out in the seventh inning snapped a 3-3 tie and proved to be the game-winner.
A leadoff walk by Rich Gorman started the Golden Bears' winning rally in the bottom of the seventh. Jeff Kobernus then moved Gorman to second before the Cardinal decided to intentionally walk David Cooper. Josh Satin followed with a ground ball single just out of the reach of Cardinal third baseman Zach Jones to load the bases and set the stage for Jackson's heroics that brought home both Gorman and Cooper. The Golden Bears picked up their third run of the inning on Dylan Tonneson's sacrifice fly to score Satin.
California added two insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth when Blake Smith and Mark Canha started the inning with back-to-back singles, moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Michael Brady and scored on a sacrifice fly from Kobernus and a fielding error by Cardinal reliever Rex Petrill (0.2 IP).
Jackson (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI) was joined by Smith (3-3) and Canha (2-3) with multiple-hit games for a California team that outhit Stanford, 12-8.Smith also pitched an effective 1-2-3 eighth inning with two strikeouts after the Golden Bears had taken their 6-3 lead in the seventh. Dane Ferguson (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO) was credited with the victory despite allowing a three-run homer to Zach Jones that tied the game at 3-3 in the top of the seventh.
Jones (2-4, HR, 3 RBI), Joey August (3-4) and Cord Phelps (2-4, SB) combined for seven of Stanford's eight hits with August posting his first three-hit game of the season.
Stanford reliever Michael Marshall (2.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) suffered the loss in relief of Cardinal starter Max Fearnow, who scattered three runs on eight hits and three walks over a career-high 5.1 innings.
California starter Kevin Miller (5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 SO) held the Cardinal scoreless for the first five innings before Golden Bear relievers Todd Fitzgerald (1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO), Ferguson, Smith and Matt Gorgen (1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 SO) closed out the contest.
California took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth. Smith started the rally with a leadoff single, moved to second when Canha drew a walk and scored on an RBI single from Brady. Fearnow settled down and got out of the inning but not before Canha came across when Gorman hit into a bases loaded double play when Fearnow induced Gorman into a double play.
The Golden Bears added another run in the fifth to go ahead, 3-0, when Canha led off with a single, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Brady and scored on Gorman's RBI single up the middle.
Stanford tied the game at 3-3 with one swing of the bat when Jones greeted Ferguson with a high fly ball to left field that drifted just over the glove of a leaping Canha after August had led off with a single and Jeff Whitlow walked to end Fitzgerald's outing.
Stanford will continue its current five-game road trip at Saint Mary's on Wednesday, March 5 (2 pm, PT) before travelling to Texas for a three-game series against the Longhorns this Friday-Sunday, March 7-9 (2:30 pm, 2 pm, 1 pm, CT).