March 29, 2013
PULLMAN, Wash. - No. 23 Stanford received four two-out RBI and five of its 10 hits came with runners in scoring position to clinch its series Friday at Washington State with a 9-3 win. Six Cardinal contributed at least one hit with Wayne Taylor adding two apiece and both also accounted for a two-out, two-RBI double.
Dean McArdle (2-1) earned the win with 2.1 innings of middle relief and A.J. Vanegas gave up one hit in the final 1.2 innings to earn his first save on the season. Starter Bobby Zarubin scattered three hits in 4.0 innings and Garrett Hughes contributed a scoreless inning of relief as the pitching corps combined to strand 11 runners.
With its second straight win, Stanford improved to 13-8 overall and 3-2 in Pac-12 Conference play. The series with the Cougars (15-10, 2-3) concludes at noon (PT) on Saturday at Bailey-Brayton Field.
Nick Tanielu led all players with a 3-for-5 effort. Tanielu had a game-high three RBI.
With a runner on third, Zarubin got a double-play ball to get out of the first and got another double play ball in the second with a Cougar on third.
The Cougars left runners on second and third in the fourth.
Alex Blandino followed with a single up the middle. Diekroeger ripped a single to center and Dominic Jose delivered a bases-loaded sacrifice fly. An infield single by Lonnie Kauppila put Stanford ahead, 2-0.
Washington State took a 3-2 lead with Tanielu's three-RBI double in the bottom half of the fifth.
Stanford came right back with Blandino's sixth-inning sacrifice fly.
McArdle gave up a leadoff triple in the sixth and left the Cougars scoreless by getting three outs on his next six pitches.
Hughes entered with one away in the seventh and sent the next two batters back to the dugout while leaving a pair stranded.
Vanegas entered in the eighth and left two more on the pond.
Wayne Taylor pinged his RBI double in the seventh and Diekroeger's came in a four-run ninth. The two-bagger by Diekroeger was the only hit in the inning.
Diekroeger added another double in the eighth.
-- #farmBall