|
2003
COLLEGE WORLD SERIES DAILY RECAPS
From staff and wire
reports
Day 7: Thursday, June 19, 2003
Capsules & Brackets Summary
Stanford 7, Cal State Fullerton
5, 10 innings
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) An unlikely power display helped Stanford beat Cal State
Fullerton and move into the College World Series championship round.
Three innings after Jonny Ash's first career home run tied it, Danny Putnam
hit a two-run homer in the top of the 10th to give the Cardinal a 7-5
victory Thursday night.
``Jonny's could have been the gamer, and mine fortunately was,'' Putnam
said. ``Watching the ball go out there was a lot of adrenaline flowing. It
was unbelievable. It's what you dream about.''
Putnam, 2-for-5 with three RBIs, hit a 2-2 pitch from Darric Merrell into
the right-center field stands after Ryan Garko led off the inning by getting
hit by Merrell's first pitch.
The win set up a best-of-three championship matchup, starting Saturday
night, between Stanford (50-16) and Rice (56-11), which advanced Wednesday
with a victory over defending champion Texas.
The Cardinal, playing for the championship for the third time in four years,
are looking for their first CWS title since winning back-to-back titles in
1987-88. The Owls are trying for their first NCAA title in any sport.
It was the first extra-inning CWS game since the Cardinal beat the Titans
5-2 in 10 innings in 2001.
Chris Carter also homered for the Cardinal, and David O'Hagan (7-1)
scattered three hits over 4 1-3 relief innings for the win. The Titans left
15 runners on base.
The game-winning homer was Putnam's second of the tournament and 16th of the
season. He also drove in five runs with a homer, double and two singles in a
13-6 elimination-game victory over South Carolina on Tuesday.
The Titans (50-16) took advantage of a record five hit batsmen by Stanford
starter Matt Manship to build a 4-1 lead.
There was a scary moment in the third when Fullerton shortstop Justin Turner
was hit in the face by a pitch while attempting to bunt. He turned to avoid
the pitch, but the ball hit him in the face. With his face bloodied and
swollen, Turner left the game assisted by trainers.
X-rays taken at a hospital revealed Turner had suffered contusions but no
fractures and only a chipped tooth. He also sprained his ankle trying to
avoid the pitch.
Turner returned to the dugout in the 10th inning, limping and the left side
of his face badly swollen.
Stanford made it 4-3 on Carter's two-run homer in the sixth, but Cal State
Fullerton added a run in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Justin
Smyres Turner's replacement.
Ash tied it in the next inning off Titans star closer Chad Cordero after Sam
Fuld hit a one-out double.
Manship hit two batters in the third and both led to runs. Ronnie Prettyman
singled in another run in the fourth for the Titans after Danny Dorn became
the fifth Titans player hit by a pitch. P.J. Pilittere tripled and scored on
a wild pitch in the fifth for the three-run cushion.
Fullerton loaded the bases with two down in the bottom of the eighth but
O'Hagan got Kyle Boyer to fly out to center to end the threat.
The Titans stranded 13 runners through eight innings, including nine in
scoring position.
Merrell (4-1) allowed two runs and one hit without retiring a batter.
Copyright 2003
The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
02/23/2007 10:44:53 AM
|
