June 3, 2012

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NCAA Stanford Regional Central

Press Conferences: Quote Sheet |  Stanford | Pepperdine

 STANFORD, Calif.--No. 13 Stanford will play in its ninth NCAA Super Regional after defeating No. 24 Pepperdine, 8-7, to capture the Stanford Regional Sunday night at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond.

The Cardinal (41-16) will travel to Tallahassee, Fla. to take on national No. 3 seed Florida State in next weekend's best-of-3 Super Regional for the chance at its 17th College World Series appearance. Game dates and times will be announced Monday.

Pepperdine, the West Coast Conference champion, ends the 2012 season at 36-23.

Trailing 8-4, the Waves scored three more times on four straight hits against Stephen Piscotty in the seventh to close to 8-7. But Sahil Bloomwould come on and hold Pepperdine scoreless over the final 2.2 innings to earn his first save of the year. Bloom allowed just one hit and walked one with a strike out to preserve Piscotty's sixth win of the season.

Piscotty gave up seven runs, only four earned, on 11 hits over 6.1 innings Sunday night. He helped his own cause at the plate, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

Third baseman Alex Blandino drove in a game-high four runs, three of those coming in on his eighth home run of the season in the fourth inning. First baseman Brian Ragirareached base safely four times with two walks, a hit by pitch and an RBI double.

For the second straight night against the Waves, the Cardinal came back from an early four-run deficit. Pepperdine scored four times with two away in the top of the first. Tony Cooper singled Austin Davidson in after Davidson doubled with one out. Sam Meyer singled to give the Waves two on with two out, and Floyd Given, given a second chance after Blandino dropped a foul pop-up, doubled to right-center to make it 3-0.

Matt Forgatch brought Given home with a base hit up the middle, completing the four-run inning.

Stanford pulled one back in the bottom half of the first, as Jake Stewartled off with a double and came home two batters later on Piscotty's single.

Two more Stanford runs came across in the third to cut the deficit to one. Tyler Gaffneywas hit by a pitch and Piscotty walked to open the frame, leading to Ragira's double to plate Gaffney. Two batters later, Piscotty scampered home on Blandino's sacrifice fly.

The Cardinal would take the lead for good in the fourth with a two-out, five-run rally. Hurler Mat Snider started the inning in relief of Wave starter Matt Maurer, and with one out, Stewart was hit by a pitch and Gaffney singled through the left side to put two on. After Piscotty flew out, Ragira drew a walk to load the sacks, leading to Aaron Brown relieving Snider.

Austin Wilsondrove in Stewart and Gaffney with a single up the middle to put Stanford in front, 5-4, setting things up for Blandino to launch a Brown offering into the trees beyond the left-field wall, making it 8-4 Cardinal.

Snider (0-2) would take the loss for the Waves, being charged with three runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Maurer went the first three innings, giving up three runs on three hits. Brown was charged with two runs over 1.2 innings and Eric Karch finished the game for Pepperdine, allowing just one hit over 2.2 innings.

Piscotty kept the Cardinal in the game as it made its comeback, retiring 12 in a row from the final out of the first inning until one out in the fifth.

NOTES: Florida State eliminated Samford with a 5-2 win and will host the Super Regional, with the dates to be announced ... Pepperdine eliminated Fresno State, 8-5, earlier Sunday with a six-run ninth inning, which included a go-ahead grand slam by Matt Forgatch ... Stanford has reached the Regional Championship in 11 of 12 tries since 1999 ... the Cardinal has now moved on to nine Super Regionals, with six 3-0 sweeps since 1999 ... the Cardinal is 11-3 in regional championship games.

All-Tournament Team

Most Outstanding Player-- Mark Appel, Stanford
Eric Smith, Stanford
Brian Ragira, Stanford
Danny Diekroeger, Stanford
Kenny Diekroeger, Stanford
Jake Alvarez, Fresno State
Matt Forgatch, Pepperdine
Anthony Checky, Michigan State
Mark Appel, Stanford
A.J. Vanegas, Stanford
Jon Moscot, Pepperdine

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Fresno State-Pepperdine Box Score

STANFORD, Calif. -No. 24 Pepperdine overcame four errors and five unearned runs in Sunday's Stanford Regional elimination game against Fresno State, scoring six runs in the top of the ninth to complete the comeback from a 5-0 deficit and stun the Bulldogs, 8-5.

The Waves will turn around right away to face host Stanford at 6 p.m. in the regional title game. Pepperdine must defeat Stanford twice in order to claim the regional championship.

Stanford defeated Pepperdine, 5-4, in Saturday night's winner's bracket contest.

Fresno State ends the season 31-28.

Matt Forgatch delivered the killing blow for the Waves in the ninth, smashing a grand slam to left field with none out off of Fresno State closer Taylor Garrison to make it 8-5.

Pepperdine opened the ninth with three straight singles from Austin Davidson, Joe Sever and Tony Cooper. That brought Fresno State head coach Mike Batesole to the mound for a visit to starter Cody Kendall.

Batesole stuck with Kendall, who promptly walked Sam Meyer on four pitches to force in a run. That brought Batesole back to the mound to call the bullpen for Garrison.

Pepperdine's Floyd Given hit Garrison's first offering into center for an RBI single, making it 5-4. This brought up Forgatch, who drove a deep ball over the wall down the left-field line but just foul before cracking the very next pitch over the wall in left to cap the Wave comeback.

It was Forgatch's second home run of the season and his only hit of the day. Given went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI while Cooper also had three hits to pace the Waves.

The comeback spoiled a solid outing from Kendall, who had given up just two runs on six hits with two strikeouts over the first eight innings before giving up three hits and a walk and being charged with four of the six runs in the ninth.

Michael Swanner pitched the final out of the eighth inning and handled a scoreless ninth to claim the win for Pepperdine.

The Waves recovered from a nightmarish start in which they committed four errors and gave up five unearned runs over the first five innings. The Bulldogs got two in the second after Kenneth Wise singled to left and advanced to third after Given's throw to second sailed past and into the right-field corner. Austin Wynns sacrificed Wise home, and reached first safely on Wave starter Corey Miller's fielding error.

After being sacrificed to second and advancing to third on a groundout, Wynns came across on Jordan Brink's RBI single.

Fresno State added three more in the fifth. Jake Alvarez singled with one out, then advanced to second on a passed ball. The Bulldogs ended up with runners on the corners when Miller mishandled Aaron Judge's groundball, and loaded the bases as Meyer mishandled Trent Garrison's groundball to first.

Wise delivered a bases-clearing double to right-center to make it 5-0 Fresno State, but that would be it for the Bulldogs the rest of the way.