May 11, 2008

Cal beats Stanford again

By Chris Fitzgerald / Daily News Correspondent

Loser of its past two games, the Stanford baseball team entered Saturday afternoon's contest against visiting Cal with a forward gaze. The Cardinal slept off the residual needles from a dramatic extra-inning loss to their arch rivals on Friday night.

About 2,500 fans who showed up on a Saturday that promised to be warm and sunny saw the sixth-ranked Cardinal fall again, 5-2, to the 16th-ranked Bears.

Lanky right-hander Erik Davis took the hill for the Cardinal (28-18-2, 10-7 Pac-10). He came with a record of 7-1 with an impressive four complete games on the year. But the Cardinal would need more than just a lights-out performance by their starter.

Cal (32-15-2, 11-9) showcased left-hander Craig Bennigson, entering play with a 3-3 record. Both pitchers were solid through the early innings. Mostly able to throw from the windup, Davis worked with his characteristic alacrity until late in the game. Bennigson followed suit, and four innings were done in only a little over an hour.

With no score in the top of the third, Golden Bears left fielder Charlie Cutler pushed a line drive up the middle and into center field. The base hit put the Golden Bears on the board, as Blake Smith got an early jump on the hit and came around to score from second base.

The Cardinal answered in the bottom half of the third, with the help of a Jeff Whitlow dribbler. Whitlow hit a weak ground ball to Bennigson, but when Bennigson overthrew first baseman David Cooper, Whitlow motored around to third. Shortstop Jake Shlander slapped a fastball into right field for a hit, and Whitlow came in from third to even the game at 1-1.

With Schlander standing at first, Cardinal leadoff hitter Colin Walsh drove a seed into the gap between right and center field. Shlander stumbled as he rounded third, which proved to be enough for the out. Center fielder Brett Jackson bailed out his pitcher, throwing a seed to the plate, where catcher Dylan Tonneson applied the tag.

Stanford threatened to take the lead, but it would have to wait for the fifth, statistically their most score-prolific inning of the year.

With the game still 1-1, the Cardinal caught Bennigson for his first earned run of the afternoon. It was Whitlow one more time with a single to left field. He moved to second on a fielder's choice to the right side. The stage was set for Walsh, who knocked a Bennigson changeup into the gap between right and center to score Whitlow easily. Walsh dug for the double, but Bennigson cut off a throw from center field, then cut down the sliding Walsh at second. But the damage was done. Stanford led 2-1.

Davis cut through the Cal lineup on into the seventh. But the seventh brought a change in pace for the fast-working right-hander. The leadoff hitter Josh Satin took first after getting hit by a curveball. Working from the stretch, Davis alked cleanup hitter Brett Jackson. With runners on first and second, the Cardinal lead was in jeopardy. A wild pitch set the table for third baseman Jeff Kobernus. Kobernus, who went 3-for-4in the game, hit a one-out single with runners on second and third.

With the score 3-2 in favor of the Bears, No. 9 hitter Michael Brady drew the infield in. Brady laid down a bunt, allowing Blake Smith to try and score from third. Davis fielded the bunt then hurried a toss to the plate. Catcher Jason Castro failed to handle the high toss cleanly, allowing the run to score.

With the score 4-2, momentum was strongly tilted toward the Bears. But the Cardinal defense reigned supreme. Right fielder Jeff Whitlow caught a fly ball in foul territory then ocket ed a strike to the waiting Castro, who tagged out the advancing Kobernusy.

In the seventh, freshman Alex Pracher took over on the hill for the Cardinal. He faced Tonneson, who went 1-for-4 on the day. His one hit came on a Pracher fastball out over the plate, a solid single to score the final run for Cal. Pracher only faced one batter before giving way to freshman Michael De Groot, who mowed down the Cal hitters, ending their offensive production in just over one inning of work.

Smith inherited a 5-2 lead with which to work in the seventh. He fed the Cardinal a steady diet of fastballs, enough to work his way through two innings without yielding a run. In the ninth, Cal closer Matt Gorgen came on and earned the save.

The series concludes today at 1 p.m. at Stanford.