Feb. 20, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford starter Dean McArdle threw 2.0 innings of shutout ball and paved the way for the Cardinal bullpen to secure a 5-0 win over visiting California. David Schmidt (1-0) stepped in for McArdle in the third and got the win after fanning a pair and permitting three hits in 3.2 innings of work.
No. 11 Stanford evened its record to 2-2 with Wednesday's win at Sunken Diamond in front of 1,198 fans. Cal (3-1) was handed its first loss on the season after sweeping Michigan last weekend. The Cardinal bullpen extended its streak of delivering shutout ball to 18.0 innings in the team's home opener after not allowing a run in 11.0 innings of action during a three-game series at Rice.
Temperatures dipped into the mid-40s during the non-conference baseball matchup, but that didn't keep the Cardinal arms from staying warm throughout the evening. Marcus Brakeman provided 1.1 innings of reliable relief and Sam Lindquist punched out four in the game's final 2.0 frames.
Leading 5-0 in the sixth, Stanford chose to move Brakeman to the bump after Schmidt hit a batter and soon delivered a wild pitch to put runners on first and second. Cal's Max Dutto then wore a Brakeman offering to load the bases, but the Stanford hurler regrouped to fan Mitchell Kranson and extinguish the threat.
Cal left multiple runners on base in three innings and 10 on the evening. The Cardinal also left 10 stranded but out-hit the Golden Bears, 7-5. The teams combined to bean seven batters.
Drew Jackson and Austin Slater had two hits apiece for Stanford with Danny Diekroeger adding a team-high two RBI.
The Cardinal jumped out in front with a two-run first inning on four hits. Jackson knocked an infield single on the first pitch he saw from the leadoff spot, advanced to second on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on Diekroeger's single through the right side.
Slater's first career hit was good for an RBI single to score Diekroeger which put the Cardinal ahead, 2-0.
Brian Ragira drove in Stanford's third run with an RBI groundout two innings later. The first baseman also added a stolen base on the evening.
Alex Blandino drew a walk with the bases loaded in the fourth to plate Wayne Taylor. Taylor got on base after being hit by a pitch and was joined by Jackson after the freshman tallied another infield single. Ragira was hit by a pitch to load the bases prior to Blandino's at-bat.
Sitting on a 4-0 lead, Lonnie Kauppila faced a 3-2 count but drew a walk and scored on pinch-hitter Justin Ringo's triple down the rightfield line in the fifth.
Cal used six pitchers as the loss was charged to starter Chris Muse-Fisher (0-1), who did not get out of the first inning. Muse-Fisher surrendered a pair of earned runs on four hits - including three singles by the first three Cardinal batters - and threw only 10 pitches to five batters faced.
Stanford resumes its four-game homestand with a weekend series against Fresno State (Feb. 22-24). First pitch for Friday's game is slated for 5:30 p.m. (PT) with live video, audio and stats available at GoStanford.com.
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