March 21, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.-- No. 12-ranked Stanford (7-5) brushed off the rust after a 15-day layoff, beating visiting UC Davis (3-13) 3-2 behind a two-run home run by Tyler Gaffney on Monday evening.
Gaffney's homer proved to be the difference, as following a lead off walk in the fourth, he connected on a two-run shot to left to make it 3-0 of reliever Anthony Kupbens.
Chris Reed twice stranded a runner in scoring position, striking out pinch hitter Seth Batty for the final out of the game following a two-out double by Scott Heylman to earn his second save of the season. Reed came on and pitched a perfect eighth after entering following a leadoff walk by Jordan Pries. Reed got two strikeouts and a foul pop up to send it to the ninth.
Pries worked the middle five-plus innings of relief after Mark Appel (1-2) got the win after a predetermined first two innings
UCD got back into the game with a two-out, two-run single by Daniel Cepin in the fifth to make it 3-2. Pries then worked out of a two-out jam in the sixth, getting a called strike three to keep it at a one-run game. Pries struck out two more in the seventh
Stanford scored the first run of the game in the first off a Kenny Diekroeger RBI groundout off of loser Scott Lyman (0-1) in the first.
NOTES: Stanford, which had not played since March 6, will host Santa Clara on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m before traveling to Pacific on Wednesday at 6 p.m... the Cardinal return home to host Long Beach State this weekend... it was Appel's first start at home after three Friday's on the road... Third baseman Stephen Piscotty robbed Lyman of a base hit in the fourth, making a diving stop to his left to end the third... Stanford's baseball game, which started 30 minutes earlier, ended with 1:46 left at Maples Pavillion, where the women won in the second round of the NCAA Tournament over St. John's.