March 19, 2010
Pepperdine and Stanford Box Score (March 19, 2010) 
PALO ALTO, Calif. - Catcher Zach Jones singled home the game-winning run in walkoff fashion Friday night at Stanford's Klein Field at Sunken Diamond, giving the 23rd-ranked Cardinal a 9-8 comeback victory over Pepperdine in game one of their three-game series.
The win improved Stanford's record to 8-4 while the Waves fell to 6-10. Sophomore Aaron Gates (Villa Park, Calif./Orange Lutheran HS) suffered the loss in relief after giving up four runs (three earned) on four hits and three walks in one-plus inning of work.
Gates entered the game with an 8-5 lead in relief of starter Cole Cook (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter HS) but the home team rallied in the eighth to knot the game at 8-8 and then Cardinal outfielder Jake Stewart - who led off with a walk - scored the deciding run with no outs in the ninth.
It was an improbable ending to an unpredictable night at the old ball park.
Just how erratic was this game? For starters, Pepperdine's combined hit and error total (seven) was one fewer than its eight runs.
Additionally, two of the Waves first three runs were unearned thanks to a pair of Stanford throwing errors and their four-run sixth involved just one hit - a two-run double by pinch hitter Floyd Given (Rohnert Park, Calif./Rancho Cotate HS).
Cardinal reliever Chris Jenkins walked all three batters he faced before being yanked in favor of Dean McArdle, who promptly walked pinch hitter Brian Humphries (El Cajon, Calif./Granite Hills HS) with the bases loaded and broke a 3-3 tie. Given followed with his extra-base hit to left and Miles Silverstein (Bell Canyon, Calif./Calabasas HS) bunted in a run.
Pepperdine tacked on an insurance run in the eighth on Silverstein's bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field. McArdle loaded the bases for the Waves' shortstop with two hit batsmen and a walk.
Incredibly, the Cardinal pitching staff allowed 19 baserunners but only three hits. Pepperdine's two other hits were a Ryan Heroy (Henderson, Nev./Green Valley HS) RBI single in the first and Harrison Kain's (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks HS) fifth-inning double to right.
Cook delivered seven innings for the fifth time in as many appearances this season but consistently found himself in pressure situations and only twice retired the side in order. He allowed five runs (two earned) on 10 hits and struck out four.
Stanford scored once off Cook in the second and tied the game at 3-3 in third on Christian Griffith's two-out single up in the middle, which immediately followed a fielding error by Kain in right field.
Two more Pepperdine miscues coupled with a passed ball in the sixth inning cut Pepperdine's lead to 8-5. Both those errors also came with two outs.
Stanford's big eighth-inning rally was ignited by Silverstein's throwing error as he was trying to throw out Ben Clowe at first base. Instead, Clowe advanced to second and scored two batters later on Tyler Gaffney's single to right.
Gaffney made it a one-run game at 8-7, coming home on a bases-loaded walk to Stephen Piscotty and Jake Schlander tied it scoring on a wild pitch. Gates escaped the eighth with consecutive strikeouts of Kenny Diekroeger and Adam Gaylord.
Alex Pracher won the game for Stanford pitching a scoreless ninth and left Pepperdine runners stranded at the corners.
Brett Mooneyham started for the Cardinal, pitched five innings and allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and four walks while striking out five.
Pepperdine and Stanford resume their series Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. Junior Matt Bywater (Thousand Oaks, Calif./Thousand Oaks HS) is slated to start for the Waves.
Stanford 9, Pepperdine 8 (Mar 19, 2010 at Stanford, CA)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pepperdine.......... 111 004 010 - 8 3 4 (6-10)Stanford............ 012 002 031 - 9 14 3 (8-4)----------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers: Pepperdine - Cook, Cole; GATES, Aaron(8) and Johnson, Nate. Stanford - Mooneyham, B;Jenkins, C(6); McArdle, D(6); Pracher, A(9) and Jones, Za.Win - Pracher, A(3-0) Loss - Gates, Aaron (1-3) T-3:19 A-1482
Game notes:JONES GW SINGLE IN BOTTOM OF THE NINTHJenkins, C faced 3 batters in the 6th.GATES, A. faced 3 batters in the 9th.
