April 29, 1998

STANFORD, Calif. --- Freshman Joe Borchard (Camarillo, CA/Camarillo HS) hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to help lead top-ranked Stanford (37-8-1) to an 8-7 win nonconference win over Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (16-36) on Tuesday night at Sunken Diamond. The Cardinal is now 19-2-1 in nonconference games this season.

The Cardinal took the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the first. Sophomore Edmund Muth (Long Beach, CA/St. John Bosco HS) led off the inning with a home run to right, marking the third time this season theCardinal left fielder has led off the bottom off the first with a homer. With two outs and runners on first and second, Borchard blasted a 1-0 pitch over the right field wall to give Stanford a 4-0 advantage.

The Mustangs trailed 8-5 after eight innings, but rallied for two more in the top of the ninth. Sophomore Steve Wood (La Puente, CA/Bishop Amat HS) hit a two-run shot well beyond the left field wall, his second homer of the game and 13th of the season, to cut the deficit to 8-7. With the potential winning run at the plate and tying run at first, Stanford reliever Tony Cogan (Highland Park, IL/Highland Park HS) recorded the final out of the contest to earn his second save.

Stanford right-hander Geoff Linville (Woodinville, WA/Redmond HS) worked 2.0 scoreless innings to improve to 3-0, while Muth had two hits and two RBI to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and John Gall (Portola Valley, CA/St. Francis HS) added his 10th homer of the season. For Cal Poly, Steve Wood went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, Tanner Trosper (Westhills, CA/Calabasas HS) added four hits and two runs scored and Andrew Watt (Los Altos, CA/St. Francis HS) hit his fifth homer of the season.

The Cardinal returns to action on Friday at 7 p.m. when it hosts No. 13 Arizona State in the first of a key three-game Six-Pac series (Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 1 p.m.). The Cardinal (18-6) leads USC (19-8) by a half game and Arizona State (18-8) by one game with two weeks remaining. Cal Poly visits No. 10 Cal State Fullerton this weekend for a three-game Big West Conference series (Fri. 7 p.m., Sat. & Sun. 1 p.m.).

Linescore					R	H	E
Cal Poly SLO	001	301	002	---	7	14	4
Stanford	401	111	00x	---	8	10	0
	Merritt, Workman (5), Linquist (6), Wallace (7),
	Brady (8) and Sheldon; Linville, Drew (3), Coose (4),
	Young (8), Cogan (9) and Alvarado.
	WP - Linville (3-0). LP - Merritt (3-2). SV - Cogan (2).
	2B - Trosper (CPSLO), Watt (CPSLO), Rizzo (STAN),
	Hochgesang (STAN).
	HR - S. Wood (CPSLO) 2: 4th inning, none on & 9th inning, one on;
	Muth (STAN) 1st inning, none on; Borchard (STAN) 1st inning,
	two on; Watt (CPSLO) 3rd inning, none on; Gall (STAN) 3rd inning,
	none on.
	Records - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo 16-36, Stanford 37-8-1.