Publication Date: Friday, May 20, 2005
Strong finish could land Stanford
Strong finish could land Stanford
(May 20, 2005)in an NCAA baseball regional
by Rick Eymer
The Stanford baseball team opened the week unranked for the first time in 12 years, but could end the week back among the elite if everything goes according to plan.
The Cardinal opened the week with a 10-0 victory over visiting St. Mary's on Tuesday.
Stanford hosts second-place Arizona in a three-game series beginning today at 6 p.m. with postseason implications.
Stanford (10-8, 30-19) currently rests in fifth place, four games behind the Wildcats (14-4, 34-16) and a game behind fourth-place Arizona State.
With regional berths at stake, the Cardinal need to finish strong to help improve their seeding. It's likely six teams from the Pac-10 could qualify for the postseason.
Right-hander Jeff Gilmore (9-1, 3.13) takes the mound tonight against John Meloan (8-2, 3.66). Left-hander Mark Romanczuk (5-5, 4.11) will start Saturday's 1 p.m. game and Matt Leva is the probable starter for Sunday's 1 p.m. finale.
Arizona has won four the past six meetings between the teams, taking two-of-three in each of the past two years. The Wildcats have not swept Stanford since 1993.
"Arizona is a solid ballclub," Stanford shortstop Chris Minaker said after extending his career-high hitting streak to seven in the win over the Gaels. "But when we come out and play well we're a good team as well."
Stanford dropped out of Baseball America's top 25 for the first time since the final poll of the 1993 season, a span of 227 polls, after winning two of five games last week.
Against the Gaels, four Stanford pitchers -- Greg Reynolds, Erik Davis, Nolan Gallagher and Matt Manship -- combined on the fifth shutout of the year for the Cardinal, striking out a season-high 14 batters without allowing a walk and giving up just four hits.
The win clinched Stanford's 12th straight winning season, and 57th in the last 59 years.
Minaker had three hits and drove in two runs against St. Mary's. Adam Sorgi added three hits, and Menlo School grad Ryan Seawell scored a career-high three runs.
Reynolds (1-2) won his first game of the season and the third of his career in three outings versus the Gaels as the pitcher of record in a predetermined pitching rotation. He allowed two hits in four innings, striking out five.
Michael Taylor had two hits, while John Hester and John Mayberry, Jr. each drove in a pair of runs.
Stanford won its 20th consecutive game against Saint Mary's dating to the last Gaels' victory over the Cardinal, 1-0, at Sunken Diamond on Feb. 1, 1994.
Stanford has allowed just 19 earned runs in its last 94 1/3 innings (1.81 ERA), spanning 10 games.
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