March 25, 2012
Game 2 Box | Game 1 Box
Video: Wilson's Game-Winner | Wilson Post-Game | Gaffney Post-Game
Photos: Gallery
STANFORD, Calif.-- No. 2-ranked Stanford (15-2, 2-0 Pac-12) opened up Pac-12 play with a doubleheader sweep of No.29-ranked USC (13-8, 1-4 Pac-12) winning 4-2 and 3-2, as Austin Wilson's walkoff two-run homer won game one in the ninth, before Brett Mooneyham (5-0) struck out nine in nightcap.
Tyler Gaffney had two hits in each game of the doubleheader, reaching base safely in six of eight plate appearances. Gaffney also made a sliding catch for the second out in the ninth of game two and had two steals.
David Schmidt secured a two-inning save, stranding three USC runners in the game two win in support of Mooneyham who went the first 7.0 innings, giving up one run on six hits.
After USC closed to within 3-2 and loaded the bases in the eighth, a key double play kept Stanford in front. Shortstop Lonnie Kauppila got the short relay from second baseman Kenny Diekroeger and spun and fired to first for an inning ending double play. Schmidt then stranded the tying run at second in the ninth with two flyouts. Mooneyham had given it over to the bullpen with a 3-1 lead.
Stanford scored twice in the first inning to lead 2-0, paced by a Stephen Piscotty RBI single and Gaffney scoring from third on a foul pop up down the first base. Kauppila's sacrifice fly made it 3-1 in the sixth. Ben Mount (1-2) pitched 6.0 innings of three runs on six hits for USC for the loss.
In game one, after losing the lead and trailing 2-1 in the ninth, Piscotty led off the lower frame with a double, scored on a Diekroeger sacrifice fly, before Eric Smith singled with two outs to lead to Wilson. Wilson launched a 1-1 pitch to left center to win it 4-2 for Stanford's third game-winning homer of the season.
USC thought they had won it in the the top of the ninth, scoring twice off of eventual winner Mark Appel (3-1). Kevin Swick came through with a two-strike, two-out, two-run single in the ninth to give USC a 2-1 lead. Appel got the first two batters by groundout before giving up a single and double, followed by Swick's go-ahead single.
Appel gave up two runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks for the complete game win, countering Andrew Triggs (2-3), who gave up four runs on 10 hits over 8.2 innings.
An RBI fielder's choice gave Stanford a 1-0 lead in the seventh. Brandon Garcia's two-out double in the fifth, broke up the no-hitter and snapped 11 in a row retired by Appel early in a scoreless game.
NOTES: Tyler Gaffney's heads up base running scored a run in game two, as he took home on a foul popup down the first base side as catcher Jake Hernandez veered too far off from the plate... The first six innings of game one took 67 minutes as the game finished in two hours and eight minutes... Stanford had been off since March 11, a span of 14 days with yesterday's rainout... the rare Monday finale starts at 4 p.m., before the Cardinal are scheduled to travel to UC Davis on Tuesday for a 2:30 p.m. midweek showdown. The Cardinal are at Arizona next weekend.