April 12, 2013
STANFORD, Calif. - Washington had two runners on and no outs in the ninth inning, but Stanford closer A.J. Vanegas secured his fourth save as the 23rd-ranked Cardinal picked up a 7-5 win over Washington to open a three-game series at Sunken Diamond. Mark Appel (6-2) fanned seven Friday evening and surrendered three earned runs on seven hits to get the win.
Appel moved to sixth on Stanford's all-time strikeout list with 320 punchouts to his name.
Vanegas fanned one Washington batter in the ninth after giving up three hits and one run.
Stanford (18-10 overall, 6-4 Pac-12) was out-hit by Washington, 10-9, but received multiple hits from three players and three runs from Austin Wilson. Wilson went 1-for-2 with a double while seeing his first action in the field since the season-opener at Rice.
Washington (8-23, 2-8) got three hits from Jayce Ray.
Ray's leadoff triple was the first three-bagger allowed by Appel since last April. Ray scored on a wild pitch in the first. Stanford got the run back in the bottom half on a Brian Ragira sacrifice fly to score Austin Slater.
Slater has now reached base safely in 13 straight contests.
Washington built a 3-1 lead in the second by adding two runs on four hits. Wilson scored the first of his three runs in the bottom of the second.
Appel settled in and had little trouble getting through the next four innings. Appel gave up an unearned score in the seventh.
Following a scoreless third, Stanford built its lead to 5-3 behind three runs and four hits in the fourth. The Cardinal even left three stranded in the inning.
Brant Whiting singled, Wilson doubled to left-center and Alex Blandino drove in a run with a single to center. Justin Ringo tacked on an RBI and Danny Diekroeger worked the count for a bases-loaded walk.
Lonnie Kauppila drove in a fifth-inning run and Ragira had another sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Vanegas surrendered three straight hits and one run in the ninth. With the tying run on second, Vanegas got two outs for the save.
The Cardinal has won eight of its last 10 after dropping six of seven prior to the latest run. Stanford won 10 of 12 to begin the season.
The series continues at 1 p.m. (PT) Saturday.
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