May 9, 2011
Box Score
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STOCKTON, Calif. - For the first time in 12 games, Pacific's opponent got on the board first as Stanford opened with three runs in the first, added three in the third and emerged from Klein Family Field with an 11-5 win of the Tigers Monday night. Senior 1B Brian Martin (Livermore, Calif.) hit his third home run of the season, and senior OF Matt Carvutto (Poway, Calif.) posted a runs batted in for Pacific.
Stanford RHP Sahil Bloom (1-0) tossed the final five innings for the Cardinal to pick up the win, allowing no runs on three hits while striking out five.
The Tigers tagged Cardinal starter A.J. Vanegas for four earned runs in the first two innings, but Stanford posted three-run frames in the first and third to improve to 26-16 on the year.
Stanford opened the game with the first two runners on via a single from C Zach Jones and an infield error allowing CF Tyler Gaffney to reach. After Tigers starter LHP/DH John Haberman (Stockton, Calif.) struck out 3B Stephen Piscotty, 1B Brian Ragira followed with a three-run home run to right center to put the Cardinal up 3-0.
Pacific answered with a four-run second, all with two out, as Haberman ripped a two-out doubled to left field, and after junior C Aaron Hassel (Tarzana, Calif.) walked, junior SS Josh Simms (La Mesa, Calif.) singled to left center to put the Tigers on the board. Hassel came in on a passed ball, and after sophomore 2B Tyger Pederson (Palo Alto, Calif.) and 3B Dustin Torchio (Santa Cruz, Calif.) walked to load the bases, Carvutto delivered a single up the middle to get the Tigers a 4-3 lead.
But in the top of the third, Gaffney led off with his third home run of the season, a solo shot to left center to knot the game up. Piscotty singled up the middle and after Ragira walked, Kenny Diekroeger singled to left to plate Piscotty. PH/DH Danny Diekroeger added a sacrifice fly off RHP Peter Miller (Santa Cruz, Calif.) before Miller got a double-play ball to end the inning.
Stanford stretched their lead to 8-4 in the fourth, as Jones doubled to left and scored on a single by Gaffney. After Gaffney stole second, Piscotty singled to center to establish a four-run cushion for the Cardinal.
The Tigers picked up a run back in the fifth as Martin crushed a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall for his third round-tripper of the year. The Tigers loaded the bases after that as junior RF Allen Riley (Fresno, Calif.) singled to right. Bloom replaced RHP Elliott Byers, and junior LF Daniel Johnston (Portola Valley, Calif.), the reigning Big West Player of the Week, greeted him with a single right. Haberman reached on a strike out wild-pitch to load the bases with no body out and put Pacific in position to claw their way back. But Bloom answered with two straight strikeouts before getting a fly to shallow left to end the inning.
Cardinal RF Austin Wilson led off the top of the sixth with a home run to center, his fourth of the season, and after an error, a single and a hit by pitch, a sacrifice fly from Ragira put Stanford up 10-5. Gaffney singled and scored a double from Piscotty in the eighth to provide the final margin.
Junior RHP Jared Wagner (Danville, Calif.) allowed one run in the final 3.2 innings, with a pair of strikeouts. Eight of the Tigers nine starters picked up hits in the ballgame, including two from Riley and Martin.
The Tigers fall to 15-28 on the season and will wrap a stretch of five games in five days on Tuesday at San Jose State in a 3 p.m. start.
