April 3, 2004
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Los Angeles, Calif. - Jonny Ash's two-run homer in the top of the ninth inning on the first pitch he saw from UCLA reliever and losing pitcher Adam Simon (0-2) lifted No. 1 Stanford (23-3, 2-0 Pac-10) to a wild 15-13 win over UCLA (14-13, 0-2 Pac-10) in a Pacific-10 conference contest on Saturday at Jackie Robinson Stadium. Ash (4-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) also hit a solo homer in the seventh inning in his previous at bat for the first two-homer game of his career, while also driving in four runs and collecting four hits for the first time in his career. In addition, he extended his hit streak to eight games.
"It still hasn't really hit me yet," responded Ash when asked about the emotions of his game-winning homer. "I just guessed right (on the pitch), and I knew I got it when I hit it."
The victory extended Stanford's season-high win streak to eight games and has won 14 of its last 15 overall. Stanford's 23-3 record moves the Cardinal to within four victories of the best 30-game record in school history, currently held with the 26-3-1 record posted by the 1982 team. The Cardinal has also won 26 of its last 28 true road games and has a 46-7 record in its last 53 games dating back to last season. Coupled with an 11-4 win over the Bruins in Friday's series-opener, the Cardinal also ran its series win streak to 12, its Pac-10 opening series win streak to eight and its series win streak over UCLA to seven. Stanford has also won 20 of its last 21 series overall.
"The main thing in the Pac-10 is to try to win series and then giving yourself an opportunity to sweep," explained Ash. "The way we won today showed the resiliency of this team."
Stanford jumped out to an 11-2 lead after scoring eight runs in the top of the third inning before a furious UCLA comeback finally tied the game at 13-13 when Jarrad Page blasted a three-run homer over the right field fence with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
The game featured eight homers with each team hitting four.
Danny Putnam (2-5, 2B, HR, 3 RBI) and Sam Fuld (2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI) also went deep for the Cardinal, while John Mayberry, Jr. (2-3, RBI, SB) and Chris Minaker (2-5) added two hits each. Ryan Seawell doubled and drove in a pair of runs, while Brian Hall (1-4, SB, RBI) extended his hit streak to a career-high-tying 11 games with a sixth inning single.
Ryan McCarthy (4-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) hit his second and third homers of the series for the Bruins, while Page (2-3, HR, 3 RBI) and Chad Concolino (2-5, HR, 3 RBI) also had long balls. UCLA's Matt Thayer (2-4, RBI) and Chris Denove (2-5) added two-hit games.
Stanford reliever David O'Hagan (3-0) picked up the victory despite allowing Page's game-tying homer and five runs on five hits in 4.0 innings of work. O'Hagan, who entered the game with a 1.26 ERA in 28.2 innings of work, did squelch a UCLA rally when he came into the game in the bottom of the sixth and pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts to preserve the victory.
Bruin starter Bryan Beck got off the hook with a no-decision despite allowing nine runs on eight hits over the first 3.1 innings. Scott Botterman (3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO), Daniel Reid (0.2 IP, 1 BB, 2 SO), David Johnson (0.2 IP, 1 SO) and Simon (1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER) also pitched for UCLA.
Stanford jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Fuld led off the game with his first homer of the season over the rightcenter field wall. Lowrie and Putnam drew back-to-back one out walks to restart the rally before Mayberry, Jr. drove Lowrie home with a line drive single down the left field line. Lucy followed with a sacrifice fly to score Putnam.UCLA answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first on McCarthy's first homer of the game and second in the series, a two-run, two-out shot over the leftcenter field fence that also scored Thayer, who had led off the inning with a walk.
Stanford held onto its slim 3-2 lead before exploding for eight runs in the fourth inning for its second-biggest single frame of this season. A double down the left field line by Seawell brought Mayberry and Lucy home with the first two runs. Mayberry and Lucy had led off the inning with back-to-back singles before being moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt by Hall. Minaker blooped in a single down the right field line to move Seawell to third before Fuld brought home both runners with his first triple of the season to rightcenter field. Ash brought Fuld home and chased Beck with an RBI single just inside the third base bag. Lowrie greeted Botterman with a single up the middle and Putnam finished the rally with a three-run homer to straight away center field for his sixth long ball of the season.
UCLA started its comeback with three runs in the fifth to cut Stanford's lead to 11-5. Page and Concolino got the rally started with back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Thayer then hit a ground ball to Ash at third, who forced Concolino out at second, but a throw by Lowrie on the back end of a bang-bang double play attempt skipped by Mayberry at first base for an error on the Cardinal second baseman, allowing Page to score. The Bruins then loaded the bases and chased Stanford starter Blake Holler (ND, 4.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO) with back-to-back singles by Mike Svetlic and Wes Whisler. Cardinal reliever Matt Leva (0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) then uncorked a wild pitch to allow Thayer to score and McCarthy beat out an RBI infield single deep in the hole at shortstop to bring Svetlic home before Leva struck out McMillan to end the rally.
Stanford answered with a single run in the sixth when Putnam led off with a double and scored on a two-out RBI single by Hall.
UCLA resumed its comeback in the bottom of the sixth and cut Stanford's lead again to 12-8 on a three-run homer by Concolino over the left field wall that also scored Denove and Page, who had beat out an infield single and walked respectively to set up Concolino's second home run of the season. Leva stayed in the game for two more pitches before he was relieved by Matt Manship with a 2-0 count on Thayer and was credited with a walk when Manship tossed ball three and four. Manship then walked Svetlic before being replaced by O'Hagan, who came on to record three consecutive outs after the first five batters had reached safely by retiring the middle of the Bruin order in order, striking out Whisler and McCarthy before getting McMillan to fly out to shallow right field to end the inning.
Ash's first homer of the game, a solo shot over the rightcenter field fence in the seventh, gave the Cardinal an additional run to make the score 13-8.
The Bruins got one run back in their half of the seventh when Preston Griffin led off with a double, Page walked with one out and Thayer came through with a two-out RBI single.
McCarthy started UCLA's four-run game-tying bottom of the eighth with a one-out solo homer to left. Griffin then drew a two-out walk to restart the rally and Denove singled to set up Page's dramatic game-tying three-run homer.
Minaker singled through the left side of the infield to lead off Stanford's ninth. Pinch-runner Jim Rapoport then advanced to second when Simon threw the ball away trying to pick him off first and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Fuld before Ash launched his game-winning homer.
Lucy was hit by a pitch for the third time in the series and his team-leading ninth time this season.
Fuld continued his ascent up several Stanford career lists and is now second in runs scored (238), third in at bats (927), tied for third in triples (16), seventh in doubles (57) and tenth in games played (226).
UCLA left eight runners on base, while the Cardinal stranded seven.
Neither team recorded a double play.
All nine Stanford starters had at least one hit to contribute to the Cardinal's 19th double-digit contest of the year. Stanford also reached double figures in runs for the 12th time this season.
The 13 runs given up by Stanford were the most the Cardinal has given up this season.
Stanford and UCLA will conclude the first Pac-10 series of the season for both teams on Sunday (1:00 pm, PT) with the Cardinal looking for its fifth sweep of the season and the eighth of its current 12-series win streak. Stanford is scheduled to start RHP Jeff Gilmore (5-1, 4.64) versus UCLA LHP Wes Whisler (1-2, 4.91).
Stanford, who became the nation's unanimous No. 1 team for the first time this season on Monday and has been the top-ranked by Baseball America for six consecutive weeks, next returns to Sunken Diamond for a six-game homestand that begins with a non-conference game versus Santa Clara on Tuesday, April 13 (6 pm, PT), before continuing with a three-game Pac-10 home series against California (Friday-Sunday, April 16-18, 6 pm, 1 pm, 1 pm, PT), as well as single contests versus Saint Mary's (Tuesday, April 20, 6 pm) and Sacramento State (Friday, April 23, 6 pm) the following week.
Tickets are available for all 2004 regular season Stanford Baseball home games online at gostanford.com or by calling 1-800-STANFORD.
