May 9, 2011
Tyler Gaffney, Brian Ragira and Austin Wilson all homered and No. 25-ranked Stanford (26-16) won its fifth in a row, defeating host Pacific (15-28) 11-5 on Monday evening.
The Cardinal rapped out 15 hits and scored two runs or more in five of the first seven innings. Gaffney went 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBIs, while Ragira added four RBIs, hitting a three-run homer in the first.
Kenny Diekroeger chased starter John Haberman (0-1) from the game in the third, as his RBI single made it 5-4 en route to a three-run third and 6-4 lead. Gaffney led off the inning with a home run and pinch hitter Danny Diekroeger's sacrifice fly gave the Cardinal a two-run advantage and finished a six-run night for Haberman.
Gaffney and Piscotty then followed with RBI singles in the fourth to make it 8-4.
Bloom (1-0) pitched a career-best five shutout innings for his first win of the season with a career-high five strikeouts. In an 8-5 game in the fifth, Bloom struck out three, loading the bases on his first strikeout with a wild pitch, before striking out two more and getting an inning ending fly out to keep Stanford in front 8-5. He struck out the final batter of the seventh as well with two runners on base.
Stanford hit double digits in the sixth with a solo homer by Wilson and a sacrifice fly from Ragira to lead 10-5, further erasing a 4-3 lead by Pacific.
Ragira hit a three-run homer in the first, making it 3-0, before Pacific batted around in the second, giving it a 4-3 lead.
NOTES: Stanford hosts UC Davis on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.... Ragira was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week, earlier today.... The Cardinal are now 11-1 in midweek games... Stanford also returned to the top-25, ranking No. 25 in the Coaches / USA Today poll... Parker Klein the grandson of Bud Klein threw out the first pitch. The elder Klein passed away last Thursday, playing at both schools in football and baseball. Both home fields are named after the family.