April 29, 2012
WESTWOOD, Calif.-- No. 9-ranked Stanford sent 11 men to the plate in the fifth, scoring six times, to lead the Cardinal (28-11, 10-8 Pac-12) to a 7-2 series clinching win at No. 10-ranked UCLA (28-12, 12-9 Pac-12) on Sunday afternoon.
Sahil Bloom (2-0) pitched the final 5.0 innings for the win, scattering two hits. Tyler Gaffney reached base safely five times with an infield single, triple, two walks and a hit by pitch.
A two-out, six-run rally, erased a 2-0 lead by the Bruins. After the first two outs were recorded, Stanford sent eight-straight men to the plate, against three UCLA pitchers to lead 6-2.
The fifth man to reach base safely, Brian Ragira chased starter Zack Weiss (2-2) from the game in the fifth to give Stanford a 3-2 lead. Weiss had hit Stephen Piscotty, the batter before, to put the first run on the board for the Cardinal
Reliever Grant Watson then lasted two batters, walking the bases full, before a two-run single by Eric Smith made it 5-2. Alex Blandino's RBI single capped the rally to make it 6-2, .against reliever David Berg.
A.J. Vanegas went the first 4.0-plus innings, giving up two runs on four hits. He also walked four and hit two others. Vanegas did settle down after giving up single runs in the first and second innings, in a game neither starter was in line for the win.
Weiss countered with 4.2 innings, giving up five runs on three hits, as two of his three hit batters scored in the fifth. One of his three walks scored as well, also in the fifth.
NOTES: UCLA centerfielder Beau Amaral robbed Ragira of a home run in the ninth, reaching over the fence to catch the long ball... Brian Ragira had RBIs in all three of the games at UCLA... Stanford travels to San Jose State to play at the Spartans' other baseball facility, when the San Jose Giants are in town, Blethen Field, on Tuesday at 2 p.m... The Cardinal are at Oregon State next weekend.