Monday, 5/12/97 Stanford avoids sweep to steal lead in six-Pac
BASEBALL: After losing two games, Cardinal secure title by winning
Sunday 9-6
By Kristina Wilcox Daily Bruin Senior Staff The second-ranked
Stanford baseball team came to town, looking to win just one game
against No. 6 UCLA. The Bruins, meanwhile, wanted a three-game
series sweep and the Six-Pac title that would accompany it.
Although UCLA won the first two games of the weekend, 10-9 and
13-8, it was the Cardinal who left Jackie Robinson Stadium happy
with a 9-6 victory on Sunday. Going into the important series,
Stanford (38-16, 21-9 Six-Pac) stood in first place in the
conference race, three games ahead of UCLA (40-16-1, 19-10). But,
by virtue of winning two-out-of-three games in Palo Alto last
month, UCLA could have claimed the league crown by sweeping at home
this weekend, giving them the tiebreaker advantage and a berth in
the Pac-10 playoffs May 15-17 against Washington. However, since
the Cardinal were already three games ahead, taking one from their
hosts would give them an insurmountable four-game lead. They did
not get that win until Sunday afternoon as the Bruins made the
weekend an unforgettable one. After losing the first two games, the
Cardinal knew they were in a pressure situation to come back and
win the last one, with their offense being the key in the Sunday
game. And that offense didn’t take any time getting started. The
Cardinal took advantage of the first-inning, huge-game jitters of
UCLA starting pitcher Tom Jacquez (9-3) and jumped out to a 2-0
lead with two solo home runs. Jacquez went 5 2/3 innings,
surrendering six runs and nine hits. Over the course of the game,
Stanford slowly added to its lead, while the Bruins had to settle
for a couple of runs here and there, with Stanford pitchers Chad
Hutchinson and Tom Cogan shutting down numerous potential rallies.
The most exciting one came in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 9-4
entering the inning, UCLA took advantage of an error and an Eric
Byrnes home run to cut the lead to 9-6 with nobody out. And when
Glaus was able to reach base on another Stanford error, the game
seemed within reach. However, after Eric Valent and Pete Zamora
were both retired, and Jack Santora’s line drive to center field
was caught, the game, and any UCLA championship hopes, ended. "I’m
pretty bummed out about the game," fifth-year pitcher Nick St.
George said, after making his final league appearance on Senior
Day, along with Jon Heinrichs, designated-hitter Chad Matoian, and
reserve catcher Royce Valent. "We had so much momentum. We put so
much energy into the last two games, it’s just sometimes you just
don’t have it or can’t get going for that third one." Despite the
loss on Sunday, the weekend bodes well for the UCLA hopes in next
week’s playoffs. Friday night, the Bruins started the weekend on
the right foot, with its 9-8 victory. By the end of the fifth
inning, UCLA starting pitcher Zamora (5 2/3 innings, 9 hits, 6
earned runs, 1 walk) was staked to an 8-0 lead, courtesy of a
seven-run inning against Stanford ace Kyle Peterson. In the fifth,
free passes were the key. The Bruins got three free trips to first
base courtesy of the base-on-balls, and another two baserunners
when Peterson hit second baseman Nick Theodorou (1-for-2, two runs)
and shortstop Troy Glaus (1-for-4, two runs). Each of those Bruins
scored that inning. Heinrichs (1-for-3, 4 RBI) followed a two-run
single by first baseman Brett Nista (2-for-4, three RBI) with a
three-run home run, his 23rd homer on the season. The Bruin lead
was 6-0 at that point. Zamora (1-for-4, 2 RBI), who served as the
designated hitter in head coach Gary Adams’ lineup, hit a two-run
double later in the inning to help his cause. It turns out those
two runs were important, as Stanford hit Zamora hard for six runs
in the top of the sixth. He allowed two home runs that inning: a
three-run shot to designated hitter John Gall and a two-run homer
to right fielder Joe Kilburg. The Cardinal tied the game and
continued to battle the Bruins for the lead, until the bottom of
the ninth arrived. With everyone looking for him to win the game on
one swing of the bat, Glaus stepped up to the plate to face
Stanford ace reliever Tony Cogan (7-3). Besides winning the game,
this home run would break the UCLA record for season home runs,
since Glaus hit his record-tying 29th homer in the first inning
(that homer was the 57th of his career, making him the all-time
Pac-10 career leader). Glaus made contact on the third pitch,
driving the ball deep to right-center. Center fielder Jody Gerut
caught the ball to bring the UCLA crowd back to their seats,
slightly dismayed. The crowd wouldn’t feel down for long. Center
fielder Eric Valent strode to the plate. After Cogan threw him a
strike, Valent knew what pitch was coming at him next. "He threw me
a fastball for a strike on the first pitch, and I knew I was gonna
get a curve on the next pitch," Valent said. "He kinda hung it, and
I got a good piece of it." Rounding first base while watching his
21st homer leave the park, Valent pumped his fists in the air.
"It’s exciting," Valent said. "This is awesome. It (the home run)
helps us get ready for the next game." Meyer (3-2), the reigning
Six-Pac pitcher of the week earned the victory after 1 1/3 innings
of relief. The momentum of Friday carried over into Saturday
afternoon’s contest, which the Bruins pulled out, 13-8, and reached
all sorts of milestones. In the first inning, starting pitcher and
Jim Parque (5 inns., 7 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 1K) notched his 300th
strikeout of the season, the third UCLA pitcher to reach that
plateau. Parque (12-2) also earned the victory, while Cardinal
starter Brent Hoard (8-4) took the loss after allowing five runs in
1 1/3 innings. Reliever Jeff Austin gave up seven earned runs in
five innings of relief. In the second, UCLA right fielder Eric
Byrnes (1-for-4, 2 runs, 4 RBI) hit a grand slam, the tenth for the
team this year, which ties a club-high set in 1987. In the seventh,
Heinrichs (2-for-4, 2 runs) tied Byrnes and Tim DeCinces’ career
doubles record by hitting his 54th. Also in that inning, Glaus
(3-for-5, 1 run, 2 RBI) came through for his 30th home run of the
year, surpassing Paul Ellis (1979) and Jim Auten (1990) for most
homers in a season by a Bruin. "All three game were a dog fight,"
Stanford right fielder Joe Kilburg said. "You know, they are a
quality team and so are we, and we are both gonna be there in the
postseason. It was a good weekend for us, all things considered."
It was just a little bit better for Stanford.