April 7, 2013
LOS ANGELES - Fifteen hits did not produce enough offense for visiting Stanford as the 25th-ranked Cardinal dropped its Pac-12 Conference baseball series finale at USC, 7-6. Stanford, which won the first two games of the series, continues its four-game swing away from Sunken Diamond at 6 p.m. (PT) Tuesday at San Jose State.
One day after posting season-bests in runs (10) and hits (17), the Cardinal offense battled out of a 6-3 hole to tie the game at 6-6 in the top of the eighth. James Roberts' solo home run in the bottom half of the inning was the dagger that snapped Stanford's three-game winning streak.
USC (12-19 overall, 5-7 Pac-12) fell in a hole by giving up an early unearned run. Alex Blandino singled to center and scored when Danny Diekroeger's infield single was thrown past Trojan first baseman Kevin Swick.
The Trojans took a 3-1 lead with a trio of unearned runs in the second.
Wayne Taylor reached base for the 13th straight game by singling in the third.
Stanford (16-10, 5-4) neutralized the score beginning with Brian Ragria's second home run on the season, a leadoff shot to right in the fourth. Justin Ringo was walked, Lonnie Kauppila sacrificed him to second and Brant Whiting singled through the left side. Austin Wilson dropped a single into center to score Ringo.
With things knotted at 3-3, USC tagged reliever Sam Lindquist for three fifth-inning runs. The Trojans had four hits in the frame.
Lindquist was the third of six Cardinal pitchers to see action. Lindquist gave up three earned runs on two hits with a walk in 0.1 innings.
Starter Bobby Zarubin left after throwing 1.1 innings of hitless two-run ball. Zarubin walked two.
Dean McArdle and Daniel Starwalt combined to toss 2.2 innings without allowing an earned run.
After leaving the bases loaded in the sixth, Stanford loaded the bags in the eighth. Ringo, Kauppila and Whiting singled to set the stage for Wilson. Wilson reached on an infield chopper to score Ringo. Slater brought home two runs with a triple to the deep right-center gap.
Whiting's single was his fourth in as many at-bats.
A.J. Vanegas (0-1) gave up a leadoff homer in the bottom of the eighth. It was the first earned run permitted by Vanegas this season.
Ringo and Dominic Jose had two-out singles in the top of the ninth as Brett Michael Doran stepped in to pinch hit. Doran popped out to shallow center.
Three Trojans finished with two hits apiece. USC teamed to total 11 hits. Only four of its hits were earned.
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