April 9, 2011

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

LOS ANGELES-- Austin Wood (2-5) and Chad Smith combined on a seven-hitter, with Wood striking out a career-best eight, as USC (12-19, 3-5 Pac-10) evened the three-game series following a 3-1 Saturday night victory over visiting No. 11-ranked Stanford (15-8, 3-2 Pac-10).

Tyler Gaffney led off the ninth inning with his second single of the game, chasing Wood from the game following 110 pitches. Smith came on and then got a double play ball followed by a strikeout for his fourth save.

Wood out dueled Jordan Pries (4-2), who lost for the first time since March 4, who gave up three runs on seven hits over 6.1 innings. Wood countered with one unearned run

Kenny Diekroeger went 0-for-4 snapping his 16-game hit streak, the ninth longest for the Cardinal since 1988 and longest since Diekroeger's 23-game hit streak in 2010.

J.R. Aguirre after singling to lead off the third, came around to score on a steal of home following a Pries wild pitch and diving stop and groundout to first baseman Brian Ragira to lead 1-0. USC tried to steal home again in the fourth and this time was caught, keeping it at 2-0 after Pries' second wild pitch scored the second run.

Both teams traded runs in the fifth to keep in at a two-run lead.

Stanford knocked on the door in the second, third and fourth, leaving a runner in scoring position in each inning, but not until a Ben Clowe fielder's choice in the fifth, scored,  cutting the lead to 2-1.  A lead off walk and eventual groundout in the bottom of the inning got the run back for USC to make it 3-1.

NOTES: First baseman Brian Ragira dove and landed on the first base bag in the third to rob Kevin Roundtree of an RBI and extra bases. USC later scored on a steal of home... Lonnie Kauppila dove and stopped a base hit in the bottom of the eighth, diving in the hole between first and second... Gaffney has not been retired in two games at USC, going 3-for-3 on Friday and 2-for-2 on Saturday with two walks and two hit by pitches... Sunday's finale is at 1 p.m with the Cardinal coming home Tuesday to host Pacific at 5:30 p.m... the Cardinal host Oregon State next weekend.