April 1, 2012
TUCSON, Ariz.-- No. 8-ranked Arizona (21-7, 7-2 Pac-12) completed the three-game sweep over No. 2-ranked Stanford (16-6, 2-4 Pac-12) following a 6-2 win on Sunday.
The Cardinal have now dropped four of five.
James Farris (4-1) fired off a six-hitter, striking out five in the process as the righthander retired 14 in a row from the time Stanford took a 2-0 lead in the fourth until the ninth inning.
That lead did not last for long, as Trent Gilbert tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth with a two-run single, before a three-run homer by Robert Refsnyder followed by a single by Seth Mejias-Brean chased starter John Hochstatter (3-3) from the game and made it 5-2 in the fifth.
Hochstatter, who did not last past the second in his last start, pitched 4.2 innings on Sunday, giving up five runs on 10 hits.
Stanford had a 2-0 lead prior to five unanswered runs by the Wildcats, including Refsnyder's homer which came with two outs. The Cardinal took a 2-0 lead in the fourth paced by an RBI triple by Austin Wilson off the right centerfield wall and a single down the line by Eric Smith.
A.J. Vanegas went the final 3.1 innings in relief of Hochstatter, giving up a single run on two hits.
NOTES: It was the first three-game sweep by the Wildcats since 1993, also in Tucson... It was Hochstatter's third-straight loss after a 3-0 start... Leftfielder Tyler Gaffney made a diving catch to his right to rob a base hit in the second. Another defensive gem occurred in the fifth when shortstop Lonnie Kauppila slid to one knee and turned and fired for a force out at second... the series loss was the first of the season for the Cardinal (5-1) and fourth series with a top-10 foe (3-1)... The Cardinal host Saint Mary's again on Monday, before traveling to Washington next weekend for a pre-Easter series starting on Thursday, April 5.