April 20, 2012
STANFORD, Calif.-- Alex Blandino homered twice, driving in four runs to lead No. 10-ranked Stanford (23-10, 6-7 Pac-12) to a 17-5 win over No. 20-ranked Arizona State (24-14, 9-7 Pac-12).
Blandino, hitting in the No. 8 hole, had three hits, and No. 9 hitter Danny Diekroeger had three hits as well in the 18-hit attack.
Tyler Gaffney scored three times and drove in two on his 21st birthday. Every starter had at least one hit. Stephen Piscotty drove in four, and Brian Ragira added three RBIs.
Mark Appel (5-1) tossed the first 6.0 innings, giving up three runs on six hits, leaving with a 9-3 lead after seven Stanford runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
Blandino's blast was part of a four-run seventh. Stanford added another four runs in the eighth, paced by a three-run triple by Piscotty.
Brady Rodgers (6-2) had the shortest outing of the season, taking the loss after 5.1 innings, giving up a season-high eight runs (six earned) on a season-high 11 hits.
Rodgers, with an ERA of 1.12 to start the year-- third best in the nation, had allowed just three runs over his previous 34.0 innings. Rodgers could not get out of the sixth after loading the bases.
ASU at one time led 3-2 after four innings.
Three runs in the fifth, retook the lead for Stanford. A Gaffney RBI single made it 3-3, before a throwing error by shortstop Deven Marrero instead of the second out at third, led to two additional runs and a 5-3 Stanford lead. The error broke the stalemate, before a sacrifice fly made it 5-3 in the fifth.
An inning later, four additional runs scored and made it 9-3 as Rodgers could not get out of the inning. Against reliever Joseph Lopez, a bases loaded walk followed by a passed ball made it 7-3, before a two-run, two-out single by Brian Ragira made it 9-3.
The Cardinal took a 2-0 lead in the third paced by a leadoff homer by Blandino, his fourth of the year, and a two-out RBI single by Stephen Piscotty.
Blandino's second home run, in the seventh, a three-run shot, made it 12-3 against Lopez. The homer took over the team lead for long-trippers.
NOTES: With the season-ending injury to Lonnie Kauppila at short, Blandino started at third, Brett Michael Doran was the second baseman and Kenny Diekroeger started as short... Saturday and Sunday's games are at 1 p.m. as the homestand concludes on Tuesday with Brigham Young at 5:30 p.m.