May 6, 2011
STANFORD, Calif.-- Before a season-high crowd of 3,202, Mark Appel (4-5) struck out a career-best nine as No. 28-ranked Stanford (23-16, 7-9 Pac-10) won the series opener 6-2 over Washington (13-28, 4-12 Pac-10).
The righthander allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, besting the seven strikeouts he had in back-to-back starts to begin April.
Chris Reed came on after Appel allowed the first two runners on in the ninth, getting a double play and a groundout for his sixth save.
Tyler Gaffney had three hits including an RBI triple, while Kenny Diekroeger, who was named one of quarter finalists for the Brooks Wallace Award earlier today, had two hits including a two-run double.
Two of the hits Appel allowed, came in the second, when UW closed to within 2-1 on an Eric Peterson, two-out bloop single. Appel then struck out the side in the third, striking out at least one batter in each of his first seven innings. He allowed an unearned run in the eighth to make it 5-2.
Stanford built a 5-1 lead after four innings off of starter Geoff Brown.
A fielder's choice and Brian Ragira sacrifice fly put the Cardinal on the board in the first. A two-run double by Kenny Diekroeger in the third made it 4-1.
Gaffney hit his Pac-10 best fifth triple in the fourth, driving in Zach Jones to make it 5-1.
Brown went the first three-plus innings, giving up the first five runs on eight hits.
Zach Wright came on in the fourth and did not allow a run after Gaffney's triple, pitching three shutout innings until Austin Wilson's sacrifice fly in the eighth.
NOTES: Saturday's game will be at 2 p.m and Sunday's game will be at an earlier than usual noon start... Kenny Diekroeger showed his range in the seventh, robbing Eric Peterson of a base hit by grabbing a ball headed up the middle and getting Peterson at first... Brett Michael Doran in his first career start, doubled in his third collegiate plate appearance... Zach Jones led off for the first time this season. Jones' freshman brother, Reggie, is utility player for the Huskies... center fielder Jake Stewart missed his second game after having an appendectomy earlier this week.... a moment of silence was made prior to first pitch, for all-conference outfielder Bud Klein, whose family's name is on the baseball fields at Stanford and the University of the Pacific. He passed away at 83 yesterday.