June 18, 2008
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OMAHA, Neb. - The Stanford baseball team, playing with it's collective backs against the wall Wednesday night against the Miami Hurricanes, got some big hits and even bigger pitching efforts in securing an 8-3 victory at Omaha's Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium that kept it in the hunt for the national title at the College World Series. The victory improves the Cardinal's (41-23-2) record in elimination games this postseason to an incredible 5-0, and ousts the top-seeded Hurricanes (53-11) from the tournament.
Stanford now moves on to face the Georgia Bulldogs once again, this time with a berth in next week's best-of-three College World Series Finals. The Cardinal must defeat the Bulldogs twice due to Georgia's 4-3 win Monday night, and it will get its first crack at Georgia Friday at 11 a.m. PT on ESPN2. Stanford's Jeremy Bleich (3-2, 1.02 ERA) is set to oppose Georgia's Trevor Holder (8-4, 4.45 ERA) in the contest.
Dan Sandbrink, Erik Davis, and Drew Storen combined to limit the top-ranked team in the nation to three runs on nine hits in the contest. Sandbrink, making his second start in an elimination game this postseason, allowed just one run on two hits and struck out three in four-plus innings of work, lowering his postseason ERA to 0.69 over his two starts. Davis picked up his team-leading eighth win by striking out six batters and allowing just a pair of runs over four-plus innings of work, while Storen relieved Davis with two on and none out in the ninth and ended things by getting the next three batters in order to foul out, strike out, and line out, respectively.
Cord Phelps went 3-for-5 Wednesday night, coming just a home run short of hitting for the cycle while also driving in a pair of runs with a two-run triple. Sean Ratliff continued his pursuit of Stanford's single-season home run record, hitting his 22nd homer of the season, a two-run shot in the fifth, to get to within three of Rick Lundblade's tally of 25, set in 1985.
Joey August and Jason Castro had matching 2-for-5 nights with an RBI apiece, and Toby Gerhart added an RBI double.
It was the four-run fifth inning that gave the Cardinal its six-run and the momentum in Wednesday night's contest. After Erik Davis came on in relief and got the Cardinal out of a two-on, none-out jam, Stanford's offense rode the momentum by coming alive in the bottom half.
Brent Milleville started things off with a single up the middle, and, two batters later, Ratliff crushed a no-doubter to right off of Hurricane starter Enrique Garcia that gave the Cardinal a 5-1 lead. With reliever Anthony Nalepa now on the hill, Gerhart reached base on Sobolewski's error at third, and Jake Schlander singled with two outs to keep the inning alive after Zach Jones flew out to center.
At this point, Phelps jumped on a 3-2 offering from Nalepa, driving it deep to right-center and past a diving Blake Tekotte for a two-run triple that made it 7-1.Garcia took his third loss of the season after giving up five runs on eight hits in four and a third innings. Nalepa gave up a pair of unearned runs in his two-thirds of an inning of work.
Earlier, the Cardinal found itself in an early 1-0 hole Wednesday, as the Hurricanes wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. Tekotte singled to open up the game, and stole second a few pitches later. Jemile Weeks laid down a bunt that he beat out, advancing Tekotte to third. Weeks stole second, and just like that, the Cardinal found itself in a quick jam, with two runners in scoring position and no outs.
But Sandbrink buckled down, getting Yonder Alonso swinging for a key strikeout. Mark Sobolewski did drive in a run with a sacrifice fly to center, but with two outs, Sandbrink made quick work of Ryan Jackson to get out of the inning with minimal damage.
Stanford missed an opportunity to get on the board in its half of the first, as Phelps and Castro reached on singles, but with one out, Brent Milleville fouled out and Randy Molina flew out to left to end the inning.
The third inning proved pivotal to the contest, first in the top half. Tekotte walked to lead things off, was sacrificed to second by Weeks, then stole third base. Sandbrink, though, would once again rise to meet the challenge, dealing consecutive strikeouts to Miami's 3-4 hitters in Alonso and Sobolewski to shut the door on the threat. The Cardinal would then manage to get the equalizer plus one more across in the third, thanks to three hits to lead off the bottom of the third.Phelps started things off by lining a double to left-center, and August's sharp drive to center put runners on the corners with one out and Castro coming to bat. Stanford's All-America catcher hit a ground ball deep in the hole between third and short which Hurricane shortstop Jackson could not make a play on, allowing Phelps to score the tying run. Milleville's sacrifice bunt advanced August and Castro up a bag, then Molina's sacrifice fly to left put the Cardinal ahead for the 2-1 lead that it would never relinquish.
That lead grew by one more run the following inning as August's two-out single found the Bermuda Triangle in shallow left-center, plating Jones, who had walked to lead off the inning and reached second on a ground out.
Sandbrink's gutsy start would come to a close after walking Yasmani Grandal to start the Miami fifth. Davis took the hill in relief, and after walking Tekotte, things looked dicey once more for Stanford. But a combination of luck and clutch pitching helped get the Cardinal out of this jam, as Weeks' popped up a bunt attempt that was caught by a diving Castro for the inning's first out. Davis then matched Sandbrink's third inning feat by striking out Alonso and Sobolewski to end the inning and the threat.
Stanford would add a run in the sixth as Toby Gerhart doubled in Milleville, increasing the Cardinal lead to 8-1.
A home run from Grandal in the top of the seventh reduced the lead to 8-2. Although the Hurricanes would threaten in the inning, putting Weeks and Alonso on second and third with two outs, Davis would get Sobolewski to fly out to right to end the inning. The Hurricanes would get one more in the eighth, as three straight singles from Jackson, Adan Severino, and Dennis Raben led to Jason Hagerty's sacrifice fly to right.
Alonso and Severino led the Hurricanes Wednesday night with two hits apiece in five at-bats.
But once again, with two on and one out this time, Davis would get out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts, setting both Grandal and Tekotte down swinging.